Gentlemen

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5.

I think there’s something deeply compelling about this album, mainly in the choice to have the lead singer, Greg Dulli, play the abusive villainous role in a relationship. It’s done in a way that’s obvious, but not over the top. It’s discomforting because there are absolutely people like this out there, ones who abuse their sense of power to gaslight others & emotionally manipulate them into staying. Those people fucking suck. I think Greg nails their mindset here, so much so that people are giving this album lower ratings for believing he’s actually as misogynistic as his lyrics would suggest. It’s obviously a character, people. It’s one that he plays really well.

To me, framing this as a breakup album doesn’t feel quite right; it feels like the slow mental break that occurs in an abuser once the manipulation starts to fail, the gaslighting gets more desperate, and the power dynamic loses its potency. You can call it a breakup album, and you’d be technically right, but it’s one where you’re actively rooting against the person who’s being broken up with. At the same time, there’s a slight understanding derived from the soundscapes, Greg Dulli’s rougher & slightly tattered vocals & the occasional moment or two of clarity in the album where he does appear to be trying to break his own cycle & better himself, only to fall back deeper into his vices. It’s almost tragic, really. That said, I don’t think you’re meant to gather that much sympathy. You’re mostly meant to hate this guy, and I’d say they did a good job of getting to that point.

I think the most interesting track here, in terms of really setting the narrative, is “Debonair”. To me, it reads like a man who’s simply in too deep, trapped by his own demons to be the man that he is, cognizant & frustrated by it, yet he can’t truly find the regret in his heart or the conscience in his brain that would get him to stop. That’s a scary proposition, especially since he can see, in himself, the scared little boy that’s simply trying to cling onto somebody else’s love. The monster does not bleed, nor does it breathe. It’s a man recognizing they’ve become inhuman, too allured by the sense of control & power it brings to ever go back. He’s going to Hell, and he knows it. It’s great songwriting, and it really frames the rest of the album.

I think the best track might be “My Curse”, sung from the perspective of one of the women. It feels kinda BDSM-y, with her giving into the temptation of his sinful & abusive ways in the name of a twisted kind of love. Marcy Mays does a fantastic job on that track, managing to find a vocal tone that sells the allure & the twisted passion that exists in the love, while also acknowledging the improper dynamics at play in a way that sounds scared of what’ll happen if it ever goes south. The instrumentation really picks up near the end, and it coincides with her voice hitting a similar peak, and both work hand-in-hand to give the album its most compelling moment. It’s a great track for the narrative & in general.

The main reason I’m at a 4.5 is because of a few tracks not hooking me in from a musical or vocal perspective (“Be Sweet” & “What Jail is Like”), and the occasional moments where Greg Dulli tried to step way too far from his vocal range in a way that briefly pulled me out of a few tracks. He’s sort of the weak link of the album, but he plays to his strengths well throughout in a way that usually didn’t bother me. When it happens though, it’s a bit noticeable. That said, even the tracks that didn’t hook me in musically did their job to advance the narrative & reinforce the main character’s sleazy & unlikeable energy. The way this album ends, on a cover that’s perfectly befitting of the narrative & an instrumental that seemingly finds a way to critique the use of religion as a crutch for an abuser, really worked for me. Combine that with how much I liked the rest of the album, and I feel pretty strongly about bumping this up to a 5. I think the critics got it right in 1993, and I think the users of this site have it wrong with a 2.88. I’m glad it’s on the list.

Largely ignored in the 90s … first half did nothing for me, got slightly better towards the end.

Favorite track(s): Gentlemen, Debonair, Fountain and Fairfax, Brother Woodrow / Closing Prayer

I feel like the first wave of 90s emo kids heard this record and were like, 'yeah this but my emotions are so much more complicated and deep, this needs to be louder and have more screaming.' I wonder where the emo kids from high school are now? I hope they're still emo because that would prove to mom that it wasn't just a phase.
This album is not emo. I don't know why I got on that. But some of the sentiments are the same, granted this is more like pervy emo-lite. Not really my thing but it falls so well within it's own time it's kind of hard to fault it. Like this could be a stereotype of 90s opposition to grunge. It sounds so 1993 it might as well be a Ford Taurus. Wouldn't listen again but I can appreciate it for what it is I suppose. The best song was the instrumental at the end. 3/5

I've heard of the Afghan Whigs before, but I've never listened until now. I saw the year and genre (1993/alternative rock), and I figured I'd be in for a treat, because it's one of my favorite genres. Overall, I did like it. The music was heavy and dark with guitars that sounded good. Lyrically, Dulli is singing about the breakdown of a relationship and all of the parts that come with that (like a lot of denial and hopelessness). Hope for the future comes in at the end of the album with the instrumental closing track, "Brother Woodrow Closing Prayer" (at least that's the vibe I got from it).

Meh. There’s a real sameness to it all musically, isn’t there. I’m not a huge fan of the vocal style. I’m glad I read the Wiki write-up about it being a cycle of stories about the end of a relationship, to know to focus in on the lyrics. Not what I was expecting. Male angst about feeling trapped in a jail. Great.
It’s probably about a 2.5 star album for me. The last two tracks were slightly better than the rest (or I was just worn down). I can’t justify three stars.

Decent independent early 90s alternative. Good band. Decent album.

This is a pure expression of emotions and male rage. The vocals are really the standout here. I liked it but not enough to push it higher. Favorites were Gentlemen, Debonair, and What Jail Is Like.

Some great music going on, but what an awful, tuneless voice.

Annoying, angsty, mid, 90s music.

En 1993, alors que la moitié de la jeunesse occidentale s’évertuait à sentir le sapin mouillé en chemise de bûcheron, j’ai pris une monumentale claque en pleine gueule qui ne venait ni de Seattle ni d’un garage crasseux d’Aberdeen. Non, celle-ci débarquait de Cincinnati, sapée dans un costard sombre de crooner défraîchi, les yeux injectés de sang et l’haleine bien chargé.

Cet électrochoc s’appelait Gentlemen, quatrième long-format des Afghan Whigs et à l’époque où le rock alternatif se vautrait dans l'auto-apitoiement adolescent et les larsens pour noyer le vide existentiel, Greg Dulli et sa bande ont choisi de braquer les projecteurs là où personne n'osait regarder : dans la chambre à coucher après le carnage, sur les draps froissés de la lâcheté masculine et le cadavre encore tiède d'un couple qui s'entretue à petit feu. Gentleman est un disque sur les relations humaines dans ce qu'elles ont de plus venimeux, un traité impitoyable sur la toxicité affective auquel j'attribue un éclatant 4 sur 5.

Pour bien mesurer l’anomalie que représentait ce disque, il faut se souvenir de la mascarade de l'époque. Les mecs sortaient tout juste de l’écurie Sub Pop, le temple sanctifié du grunge. Mais là où leurs camarades de label jouaient les punks régressifs en beuglant sur des pédales de distorsion fuzz premier prix, les Whigs débarquaient sur scène coiffés au peigne fin, fringués comme des mafieux de série B qui venaient de dévaliser un magasin de prêt-à-porter italien. Après avoir affûté leurs armes sur Congregation en 1991, ils ont signé chez Elektra et sont descendus direct dans le Sud, à Memphis, dans les légendaires studios Ardent, pour enfanter ce qui allait devenir leur chef-d'œuvre absolu. Enregistrer un album de rock alternatif là où Stax et le blues avaient écrit leurs plus belles lettres de noblesse, c’était une déclaration d'intention insolente. Les mecs n'étaient pas là pour singer Black Sabbath ou les Stooges comme le reste de la meute : ils voulaient faire de la soul avec des guitares électriques qui mordent jusqu'à l'os.

Gentlemen, c'est le point de friction idéal où le punk le plus abrasif vient se frotter au R&B le plus charnel. Dès les premières secondes, on est face à une basse ronde, élastique, presque sensuelle, avant qu’un mur de guitares tranchantes ne vienne déchiqueter l'espace. Et au dessus, la voix de Greg Dulli confesse ses vices avec la morgue d'un pervers narcissique qui sait pertinemment qu'il est indéfendable. Ce contraste entre le velours des arrangements et la violence crue du propos donne au disque une tension érotique et morbide permanente. On a l’impression d’assister à un interrogatoire de police dans un motel sordide où l’accusé prendrait un malin plaisir à détailler ses pires bassesses avec un sourire en coin.

Ce qui me fascine le plus dans cette galette, et qui justifie pleinement ma note, c’est le traitement des rapports de force et de la perversité relationnelle. Dulli ne cherche jamais à se faire aimer, encore moins à susciter la moindre pitié. Il incarne le salaud magnifique dans toute sa splendeur pathétique, l’archétype du manipulateur conscient de son propre poison mais incapable d'empêcher son venin de couler. Quand il lâche dans une litanie désormais culte qu’il a une queue à la place du cerveau et que son cerveau va lui vendre son cul, on touche du doigt une lucidité terrifiante sur la misère du désir et de la prédation. Il n'y a aucune rédemption ici, pas de pardon à l'eau de rose, juste le constat froid et lucide que deux personnes peuvent s’aimer au point de vouloir s’annihiler mutuellement. La toxicité n'est pas un concept abstrait ou une posture à la mode pour magazine branché ; elle est vécue comme une addiction sale, une fièvre nocturne dont on ne guérit jamais vraiment.

Le disque avance comme une spirale descendante où l’on alterne entre des déflagrations de testostérone blessée et des descentes d'adrénaline glaciales. L'énergie déployée par la section rythmique de John Curley confère à l'ensemble une assise qui fait cruellement défaut à la plupart des productions rock de ces années-là. Les guitares hurlent peut être mais elles groovent avant tout. C'est cette dimension éminemment noire, cette pulsation héritée de la musique soul, qui empêche Gentlemen de vieillir comme tant d’autres disques oubliables du milieu des années 90. Il y a une dynamique implacable dans la manière dont le piano s'invite au milieu du vacarme, apportant une théâtralité presque dramatique, sans jamais verser dans le grotesque ou la grandiloquence pompière.

L'un des coups de maître de cet opus, c’est aussi ce moment de bascule où le groupe décide de fermer sa gueule pour laisser la parole à l'autre camp. En invitant Marcy Mays du groupe Scrawl à poser sa voix sur une ballade déchirante, les Whigs évitent l'écueil du monologue égocentrique de mâle en déroute. C’est une gifle monumentale où la vulnérabilité y est totale, dévastatrice, et où le contraste avec le cynisme goguenard des pistes précédentes n'en devient que plus cruel. C'est là qu'on réalise que Dulli n'a pas seulement écrit un disque sur ses petites névroses de queutard en crise, mais une véritable autopsie du désastre amoureux à deux voix.

Pourquoi pas la note maximale alors ? Pourquoi s'arrêter à un 4 sur 5, aussi mérité soit-il ? Parce que le disque est une épreuve d'endurance morale qui frôle parfois l'asphyxie. À force de remuer la fange des sentiments corrompus et de complaire dans une noirceur étouffante, l'album peut laisser un sale goût dans la bouche, une sensation de gueule de bois émotionnelle qui donne envie d'ouvrir les fenêtres en grand pour faire entrer l'air frais. Certaines plages instrumentales ou transitions en fin de parcours étirent un peu la sauce et auraient pu gagner en tranchant pour maintenir la tension intenable des premiers morceaux. Mais c'est chipoter face à une œuvre d'une telle trempe, qui refuse avec un panache insolent toutes les facilités de son époque.

Au bout du compte, Gentlemen demeure une anomalie sublime, un monument de noirceur vénéneuse et de sensualité viciée. En refusant la candeur niaise et les faux-semblants des hymnes générationnels préfabriqués, The Afghan Whigs ont accouché d'un disque impudique, dérangeant, suant le vice et la lucidité et plus de trois décennies après sa parution, le disque conserve son mordant intact.

Si vous avez déjà aimé de travers, détruit quelqu'un par pur égoïsme ou regardé le désastre de vos propres mensonges en face sans ciller, cet album est le miroir brisé dans lequel vous viendrez inévitablement vous contempler. Un 4 sur 5 indiscutable, douloureux et furieusement indispensable.

Fantastic record, an artefact from the peak era of grunge, during which bands like the Whigs added an extra crunchy, angsty guitar layer, in this case, to an already potent dark soul sound. It’s a triumph in moody confessional self-loathing, Greg Dulli’s lyrics and vocal performance have a black shine to them. At times, absolutely extraordinary. 4.5

Algunas canciones medio corny. Con un sonido por momentos interesante y por momentos aburrido. No sabría decir si me gusta o no, pero creo que algunas cosas le bajaron mucho mi puntaje

What was that? The music was whatever but the vocals, were they intentionally bad or is that really how that guy sounds? That was some of the worst singing I’ve ever experienced.

Eh... it's not terrible. At its best, it reminds me of Dinosaur Jr. (although nowhere near as engaging.) At its worst, it's just boring. The tempo and overall sound don't change up enough to keep me interested. Overall, it's definitely not something I'd ever reach for to listen to.

I gave this album a couple extra tries, and it definitely needed a few listens to appreciate. The first critique I have is the inconsistency of the vocal quality. On some tracks I love the performance given, but on others it sounds simply unpleasant. This seems like an album my Sophomore English teacher would know. Some of the lyrics are pretty bad, but it was a smaller problem than I thought after the first few songs. Gentlemen certainly leans more into the alternative sound of the 90s as an opposition to the grunge movement that was smack dab in the middle of its peak when this album dropped. Each song is equally unique as the other, with some great riffs and progressions varying throughout the whole record. Sure a few skips were here and there, but the closing track is absolutely gorgeous, and it definitely made the whole experience conclude on a perfect note.

This isnt bad it just isnt for me.
I listen to plenty of "shitty" vocalists but this one doesnt do anything for me. Some interesting beats and guitar parts scattered about, eh.

Some good riffs but for a band that seems lyrically focused the music seemed a bit messy? I like NOFX so I'm not against loud and obnoxiously heavy punk riffs. I just felt like the mix wasn't great for the message on several tracks and it felt a bit samey by the end. With NOFX, for example, I expect a "signature sound" that also includes bizarrely soaring harmony and solo work. Instrumentally this just didn't have enough range to hold my interest. Not a bad album but nothing really stood out.

Music good. Vocals a little rough. Didn’t pay much attention to the lyrics (apparently they’re bad).

Nah. Unmemorable songs. Try hard emoting and boring drums and guitars. I did not like this album.