Hard rock with a soft touch

last week i picked up a couple of albums (cds, records or whatever the hipsters call them these days) that i've been dying to find. flyleaf and the twilight singers are on complete opposite ends of the musical spectrum, but are satisfying each in their own ways.

flyleaf, whom you may have heard of on account of their recent single "all around me" is a hard-rocking group from good ole texas. it's a bunch of dudes and a chick lead singer whose vocal range runs the gamut from mariah carey-like falsetto to mere alto, a la kay hanley of letters to cleo, while still maintaining the arrogance and attitude of someone like the donnas--but with more talent.

the disc collectively sounds like a femmed up version of the newer linkin park efforts, alternating between head banging, vocal chord straining cries of emotional anguish and softer, nearly ballad-like songs of devotion and love. there are many interesting guitar riffs sprinkled in that remind me of a mixture of elastica and audioslave. weird combination, i know. but pretty damn sweet nevertheless.

twilight singers is the relatively new brainchild of greg dulli, former lead of the afghan whigs (one of my all time favorite cincinnati bands) and his good friend, mark lanegan, formerly of the screaming trees. there's nothing hard-rocking about this EP effort. the 5 songs are classic raw, emotional rock found in the (formerly) smokey clubs in the seedy part of town. i won't hold it against dulli that he's the single biggest asshole i've ever personally met. but his trademark off-key and mildly tone deaf vocals are the perfect complement to the smooth, southern inspired beats.

while the afghan whigs drew merely a small following and little critical acclaim, dulli's partnerships with lanegan, ani defranco, and joseph arthur have been rewarded with prominent placements in shows like FX's uberhit "rescue me." watching the show last week is actually what prompted me to pick up "stitches in time," as TS lent their efforts to the dramatic, fire-filled opening scene of last week's show. the lure would prove too much was the ideal song for the scene. i'd have recognized dulli's music anywhere, and i'm glad i did because these are 5 of the best mellow, classic rock songs you'll find.