To commemorate the release of the Twilight Singers’ fourth album, Powder Burns, it seems like a good time to look back on the outstanding corpus of work frontman-mastermind Greg Dulli released with his previous band the Afghan Whigs.

The Whigs were minor grunge-era successes. Like a lot of their contemporaries, they scored a record deal in those crazy early-90s days when an army of A&R guys snorted several tons of cocaine and proceeded to sign up half the indie bands in America. Yet unlike Nirvana or even the Flaming Lips, they never really converted the goodwill into financial success.

This didn’t stop them releasing an enviable run of top-shelf albums over the course of the 90s, ranging from balls-out rock to funky Motown-inflected soul. To their fans, they really are the band of the “alternative” rock revolution. Here are a few reasons why:

Milez Iz Ded (1992)

The Whig’s last album for Sub Pop, Congregation, is often seen as merely the dress-rehearsal for critical favourite Gentlemen but is a compelling piece in its own right. Dulli’s self-loathing loverman image was well and truly front-and-center by this point and the sexy rhythmic blast of closing track “Milez Iz Ded” gave the biggest indication up to that point of what was to come.

The chiming introductory riff and Dulli’s swooning (and almost tuneful) falsetto is a former grunge-kid’s idea of Heaven. Actually, the whole song, with its howled chorus of “Don’t forget the alcohol / Ooh Baby / Ooh Baby,” should be the entire first lesson of Alternative Rock 101.

Summer’s Kiss (1996)

In the aftermath of Gentlemen’s success, it’s not unnatural that an artist as wilful as Greg Dulli would take a dramatic right turn. The all-screaming zero-hooks Black Love had a lot of people scratching their head on its release, as did the oblique commentary on the O.J. Simpson trial scattered throughout.

It’s not the most palatable album and claiming it as your favourite Whigs album is a bit of a badge-of-honour among obsessives. That’s not to say that there aren’t pleasures to be had for the more casual listener. “Summer’s Kiss” isn’t a feel-good hit by any means, but it’s anthemic and rocks hard. At least one reason behind the idolisation of the band is the fact that their lesser tracks and albums are lot better than many bands’ peaks.

66 (1998)

The last will and testament of the Afghan Whigs, 1965, is a definitive statement of purpose. As a band, the Whigs had never been tighter and more aggressive, but around the edges they found room for soulful flourishes (check out the backing vocals), keyboards, and some funk-derived beats and grooves.

“66″ is a poptastic slice of soul-rock fusion. It’s like after plumbing the dark side of masculinity for so long, Dulli is taking a breather.

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