Gentlemen

A band I'd always heard off but never really listened to, which is a shame.

Delivering fresh energy and new ideas to alt rock music, without fundamentally altering the form, is an undervalued contribution. Barring some slight grunge leanings The Afghan Whigs feel to me to be a straight up rock band who deliver all their points of interest through snappy and dramatic songwriting. The album gives good insight into men's failings, this being most effective in the first half though I enjoyed the inclusion of Marcy Mays on vocals in the last third, which has made me want to check out her band Scrawl. I have to admit though that it did bring into focus that I slightly preferred her as a vocalist…!

Some solid rock and roll. I liked it and would give it another listen.

Wow, surprised this has so many haters. Cracking good guitar rock, with the distinctive scream of Greg Dulli, makes for an engaging time. The seemed to be lumped in with grunge around this time, but they actually had a lot more of interest than most around that time, and the songs still stand up today. ‘Gentlemen’, ‘Debonair’, ‘Be Sweet’ and the closing ‘Brother Woodrow’ are my highlights.

Another alternative rock band from the early 90s that I've never heard of. So how good can they be? Let's take a closer look:
After the boring first track comes “Gentlemen,” which has a good main groove for its time. Greg Dulli also has a great voice, which comes into its own here. This is followed by a series of nice songs, but each of them has all the characteristics of the 90s that I've heard too many times before: that rhythm pattern that never really grooves, abrupt but pointless shifts between whispering and screaming, accompanied by guitars that aren't really clean and guitars that aren't really distorted, uninspired drums, and a bass that's so muddy you can barely hear it. Back then, most rock bands avoided the clarity and sharp contrasts of the 80s, but that's exactly what made many talented bands annoying after the fifth song—then and now.

Can't remember what I just listened to tbh. I remember not enjoying it though, so I guess that says it all

2 ⭐️

I’d never heard of The Afghan Whigs before, so I was curious to give Gentlemen a listen.

Unfortunately, I really didn’t enjoy this album. It’s very much generic 90s indie/grunge with nothing that particularly stands out. The vocals grated on me, and the overall sound felt dull, depressing, and uninspired. This was a tough listen to get through from start to finish.

Favourite track: Fountain and Fairfax – it was okay and had a decent guitar riff.
Least favourite track: Honestly, the entire album.
Album artwork: Quite a creepy cover that fits the mood, but that’s about it.

Began to wonder if I even liked music while listening to this. Had a headache and thought it was just annoying me but listened to something else after and no it just sucked.

It kinda has the ingredients of a slowcore/emo record but instead it's like grungy and super angsty in a way that felt like the opposite of that style. Really almost felt uncanny how it just didn't work for me despite it seeming right up my alley...

2.45

Well that sucked

GRADE A STINKER.

The vocals on If I Were Going are very reminiscent of J Masics so I’m immediately onboard for that. The swirling atmospheric track offers intrigue into what awaits, melting into the drums and then guitars of Gentlemen.

The Guitars really are the star of Be Sweet acting as a counterpoint to the laid back drool of the vocals with an occasional burst of life.

My curse introduces female vocals very much in the same style but at the same time producing a very different feel

I enjoyed a lot of the music but I apparently do not have the patience to listen to Greg Dulli's whinging. It's not even that he has a particularly bad voice, I just cannot stand his delivery.

2/5

Pretty good alt rock album. The remaster sounded very clean. 4/5

I feel like I was overly harsh on the Beau Brummels yesterday, because although I disliked it, I can see the difference between mere dislike and the reaction this instills in me. I gave it a solid try but had to bail just past the halfway mark.

I remember hearing of this band, but not sure I really heard any songs before now. Probably a bit too harsh sounding vocals for my tastes, but the music side is good.

Mit Gentlemen liefern The Afghan Whigs ein düsteres, intensives Album, das sich kompromisslos mit den Abgründen männlicher Beziehungen auseinandersetzt. Greg Dullis charismatischer Gesang pendelt zwischen Beichte und Provokation, während die Band eine einzigartige Mischung aus Grunge, Soul und Alternative Rock entfesselt. Die Songs sind roh, emotional und oft unbequem – aber gerade das macht ihren Reiz aus.

Pretty good, probably wouldn't listen to it again though.

The music is good, pretty typical 90s rock. Lyrically not into it.

'And it don't bleed / And it don't breathe / It's locked its jaws / And now it's swallowing.' Grungy tho not exactly grunge, Gentlemen is a visceral and sensible breakup record: 'Ladies, let me tell you about myself / I got a dick for a brain / And my brain is gonna sell my ass to you.' The concept album, w/ an uncomplicated notion at its core, does a lot in the way of supporting the cause for good songwriting, b/c that's ultimately what steals the show. It's not Greg Dulli's voice - not dull but not particularly notable either - or the intensity of the instrumentation. It's not even the lyrics necessarily, tho there are moments that have their shine. It's the structure and the flow, it's the abstract gestalt that somehow delivers something concrete in the end.