CD of The Week

The Afghan Whigs - Do To The Beast (Sub Pop)

The Afghan Whigs formed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1986, exactly six years before I was born. Their latest album Do to the Beast will be their first release in 16 years, long awaited by fans since their last album, 1965.

Do to the Beast matches its feral title in cruel honesty and bitter intensity. Each song burns through its own type of fervor, sticking true to the soul-filled rock that The Afghan Whigs evolved into over their career, while adding an edge of modernity. The album is a showcase of solid songwriting of both dark ballads and coursing numbers that rage through shredded guitar riffs. Frontman Greg Dulli is still the centerpiece. With haunting, grungy vocals that nearly match those of his prime years, Dulli continues to search through his life’s issues in a cryptically metaphoric yet evocative fashion that brims with sorrowful conflict. Diverging from Dulli’s traditional method of writing about his present, Do to the Beast reflects on his collective memories of the past. As Dulli says in the opening track, ‘Parked Outside,’ “If they’ve seen it all, show ‘em something new.”

The record opens with the driving and straightforward “Parked Outside,” which breaks the ice with cool beats and a strong bassline topped with almost whining guitar riffs and Dulli’s raspy chants of “You’re gonna make me break down and cry.” The speed and fury pick up in the eerie pulse of the sultry second track “Matamoros”’ that explores desire lyrically and sonically. The most surprising song on the album (and arguably my favorite), “Algiers,” steals its percussion straight from the 60’s girl group era with tapping castanets that give it a Western flavor. It whirls through enchanting choruses of Dulli’s soothing vocals impelling you to “Dream your sins away, sin your dreams away.” Capping the album, “These Sticks” echoes the messages and tones of the album in one last somber refrain as it mingles with highlights of saxophone that’s fades out on Dulli’s ethereal voice whispering, “I’ve come to meet you, I’ve come to make you pray.”

Do to the Beast is a record with a little bit of many things and a lot of emotion. Dulli and the rest of the group reinvent themselves in a way that echoes the journey they’ve traveled over the past chunk of years. It’s a quality collection of songs that puts The Afghan Whigs in a small cohort of like bands who have maintained their quality and stylistic fundamentals over time.

**Donate $20 or more to Y-Not Radio to receive a copy of Do to the Beast as our thank you gift. Click here for details.**
Review by Shana