Twilight Singers "Forty Dollars"

Since forming the Twilight Singers in the wake of the sort-of demise of the still-not-fully-appreciated Afghan Whigs, Greg Dulli has carved a deep, dark niche for himself as the chain-smoking, leather-and-velvet impresario of elegant sleaze-rock. The irresistable trip-hop encrusted debut Twilight as Played by the Twilight Singers set a high bar—one that Dulli almost matched with its proper follow-up Blackberry Belle, and yet again with the slightly better new one, Powder Burns, the standout from which is “Forty Dollars” (mp3). It starts with a sinister, bulbous piano lead suggesting a menacing Joe Jackson soundtracking an evening of tails and significant amounts of patent leather. Glamour is always only one small slip away from dirty decadence, however, and once the all-too familiar but still not tiresome Greg Dulli growl makes its appearance, the shadows take over and it’s time to shell out the cash for the true (interactive) entertainment located downstairs. Dulli’s lyrical style, tough to decipher at first, proves as interesting and singular as his persona, with lines like “we’re throwin’ down, so come on by, I’ll be around” and “I got 3-6-9, another dollar makes a dime, y'all in double dutch again, notify your next of kin” resonating like prime verse material for any number of current rappers. Dulli stubs them out like a butt, though, making his way toward the song’s climax.

To anyone more than passingly familiar with Dulli, or especially who has seen the Twilight Singers perform live, it’s a prerequisite to expect intertextual references to other songs and unique cover versions as part of their appeal. I saw him transmute “Smells Like Teen Spirit” into a dirge on the tenth anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s death, and his take on “Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair” from a 2003 EP is stunning. So, back to “Forty Dollars.” After dispensing with the remotest notion that love is anything other than a saleable commodity, Dulli twists the chorus of “All You Need Is Love” from a universal peace sentiment into a siren call to those already unable to tame their basest desires. It translates as: “All you neeed is love, pal. It’s all you need. Come in, I’ll prove it to you. Forty bucks.” Then he continues, now with the chorus from “She Loves You,” just like Paul at the end of the live Our World broadcast for which “All You Need” was written, but here describing a physical act. The music even drops out for a second to allow Dulli to blow his smoke in your face to underline his point. It’s part of the same cough-bracketed porno-pitch, only now he’s not taking no for an answer.

Buy Powder Burns here.