SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MARK LANEGAN BAND - GARGOYLE

Mark Lanegan Band
Gargoyle
Heavenly Recordings

Where bluesy pop meets freaky electronica and ambient music… try “Beehive”, “Death’s Head Tattoo” and “Blue Blue Sea” respectively. But these are only vague descriptions for genre-busting outings that ultimately make easy categorization redundant. Rather, think industrial noise, classic and garage rock (shades of Iggy Pop on ‘Emperor’), psychedelia (‘Sister’) – the CD becomes rather more conventional – albeit that is a relative term – as it progresses, with Mark’s vocals taking on a Lou Reed tone, and on the closing track, ‘Old Swan’, the droning groove approaches that of vintage Velvet Underground, with maybe a side order of U2. This is Mark’s tenth solo album and there’s plenty of life in the old alt-rocker yet!

Artist Links

Item Reviewed

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MARK LANEGAN BAND – GARGOYLE

Author

Norman Darwen

Here's what we think...

Spill Rating

Fan Rating

Rate Here

New Criteria

49.4

6.0

Total Spill Rating

49.4

Total Fan Rating

1 rating

You have rated this

album reviews beehive death's head tattoo gargoyle heavenly recordings mark lanegan band old swan

album reviews, beehive, death's head tattoo, gargoyle, heavenly recordings, mark lanegan band, old swan

About the Author

Norman Darwen

Norman Darwen grew up in north-west England admiring Elvis’ gold lamé jacket, Lord Kitchener’s way with words, and his much older brother’s and sister’s dancing to The Rolling Stones’ ‘Little Red Rooster’ on the telly. He’d wind aforementioned brother up by reading the entire contents of an R’n’B magazine he used to have to collect from his local shop for him and then reciting back as much as he could remember. Some years later he’d wind up his own friends by telling them who these people were that Led Zeppelin etc were covering – Willie Dixon, Howling Wolf, Otis Rush etc. These days he still listens to the blues, but has added a taste for reggae, zouk, rap, folk and anything else that takes his fancy…

album reviews beehive gargoyle

8.0

9.1

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MICHAEL NAU – POPFLY

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on October 23, 2026

MICHAEL NAU POPFLY SUICIDE SQUEEZE RECORDS So many artists are currently getting into that kind of languid musical stream that crosses a number of musical borders and PR people and critics attempting ease of use, label it as singer songwriter. [...]

8.0

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: FENNE LILY – WIN WIN

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on October 23, 2026

FENNE LILY WIN WIN NETTWERK MUSIC GROUP Brooklyn via Bristol, England singer-songwriter (whatever that term implies these days) Fenne Lily is no newcomer. With four albums under her name (Win Win being the latest) and quite a number of [...]

9.0

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: STRAWBS – STRAWBS 50 YEARS ON – GRAVE NEW WORLD LIVE

by Aaron Badgley on October 23, 2026

STRAWBS STRAWBS 50 YEARS ON – GRAVE NEW WORLD LIVE WITCHWOOD RECORDS April 26 – 28, 2019, The Strand Theatre was the place to be in Lakewood, New Jersey, to celebrate 50 years of the Strawbs. It was an incredible weekend and that was [...]

8.0

8.9

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: TONY IOMMI – FROM THE DARK

by Gerrod Harris on October 23, 2026

TONY IOMMI FROM THE DARK BMG The godfather of heavy metal itself, Tony Iommi, has returned with his fourth solo album, and fist under his full name, From The Dark. With Norwegian singer, Jørn Lande (Masterplan, Ark, Beyond Twilight, Vagabond, [...]

9.0

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ART D’ECCO – SCHEELE’S GREEN

by John Graham on October 23, 2026

ART D’ECCO SCHEELE’S GREEN PAPER BAG RECORDS Art d’Ecco comes out swinging with Scheele’s Green, the enigmatic Victoria, British Columbia artist’s fifth LP. D’Ecco continues to grow and evolve the magnitude of sound with each album [...]