If you only know Mark Lanegan as a former Screaming Tree and current Queen of the Stone Age, you don't really know him all that well.

For a more personal introduction, you need to get acquainted with his solo albums, which are usually less heavy musically -- but much heavier emotionally -- than his collaborative projects.

His new EP Here Comes That Weird Chill is a typically fine example. This 26-minute disc -- a preview of his sixth CD Bubblegum -- delivers eight fuzzy-headed, dark-hearted, drug-fuelled tracks that encompass Waitsian clank-blues (Methamphetamine Blues), gritty stoner laments (Message to Mine), Cohenesque poet-balladry (Wish You Well) and even some Beefhearty blubber 'n' smoke (a cover of the Captain's Clear Spot), all rendered via Lanegan's world-weary, rumbling growl.

Pick it up and say hello to the real Lanegan.

Track Listing
1. Methamphetamine Blues
2. On The Steps Of The Cathedral
3. Clear Spot
4. Message To Mine
5. Lexington Slow Down
6. Skeletal History
7. Wish You Well
8. Sleep With Me/Version