Mark Lanegan is perhaps best known for gruffly howling over big distorted riffs, either in Screaming Trees or Queens of the Stone Age.Phantom Radiois his ninth collection of solo originals. While early solo records positioned him as a downtrodden blues crooner, 2012’sBlues Funeralmarked a shift towards synthesised new wave production.

Phantom Radio pushes this aesthetic even further.Synths and electronic programming mitigate Lanegan’s habitual morbidity. Several of Phantom Radio’s concisely drawn compositions take on an optimistic edge, but Lanegan is still surveying a grim scene. His lyrical interests are summed up in album opener ‘Harvest Home’: “Black is my colour, black is my name / I need something to help me chase the devil away”. The hope intimated by the upbeat gait of ‘The Killing Season’ or the dreamy synth play of ‘Torn Red Heart’ is slashed down upon noticing the track titles.

Bereft of conventional ‘rock songs’, the electric guitar is almost entirelykept at the album’s periphery. Lanegan’s fibrous melancholy oddly suits the synthetic setting.

While he’s largely appeared either cantankerous or downcast in the past, when placed amid playful electronics, Lanegan’s inimitable vocal gravel gathers near-tragic romance.

4/5.

Phantom Radiois out now through Heavenly Recordings / [PIAS].