A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean.^[1] A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs.^[2] Both the terms coast and coastal are often used to describe a geographic location or region; for example, New Zealand's West Coast, or the East and West Coasts of the United States.

A pelagic coast refers to a coast which fronts the open ocean, as opposed to a more sheltered coast in a gulf or bay. A shore, on the other hand, can refer to parts of the land which adjoin any large body of water, including oceans (sea shore) and lakes (lake shore). Similarly, the somewhat related term "bank" refers to the land alongside or sloping down to a river (riverbank) or to a body of water smaller than a lake. "Bank" is also used in some parts of the world to refer to an artificial ridge of earth intended to retain the water of a river or pond. In other places this may be called a levee.

While many scientific experts might agree on a common definition of the term "coast", the delineation of the extents of a coast differ according to jurisdiction, with many scientific and government authorities in various countries differing for economic and social policy reasons.

[edit] Formation

Atlantic rocky coastline, showing a surf area. Porto Covo, west coast of Portugal

Tides often determine the range over which sediment is deposited or eroded. Areas with high tidal ranges allow waves to reach farther up the shore, and areas with lower tidal ranges produce deposition at a smaller elevation interval. The tidal range is influenced by the size and shape of the coastline. Tides do not typically cause erosion by themselves; however, tidal bores can erode as the waves surge up river estuaries from the ocean.^[3]

Waves erode coastline as they break on shore releasing their energy; the larger the wave the more energy it releases and the more sediment it moves. Coastlines with longer shores have more room for the waves to disperse their energy, while coasts with cliffs and short shore faces give little room for the wave energy to be dispersed. In these areas the wave energy breaking against the cliffs is higher, and air and water are compressed into cracks in the rock, forcing the rock apart, breaking it down. Sediment deposited by waves comes from eroded cliff faces and is moved along the coastline by the waves. This forms an abrasion or cliffed coast.

Sediment deposited by rivers is the dominant influence on the amount of sediment located on a coastline.^[4] Today riverine deposition at the coast is often blocked by dams and other human regulatory devices, which remove the sediment from the stream by causing it to be deposited inland.

Like the ocean which shapes them, coasts are a dynamic environment with constant change. The Earth's natural processes, particularly sea level rises, waves and various weather phenomena, have resulted in the erosion, accretion and reshaping of coasts as well as flooding and creation of continental shelves and drowned river valleys (rias).

Environmental importance[link]

The coast and its adjacent areas on and off shore is an important part of a local ecosystem as the mixture of fresh water and salt water in estuaries provides many nutrients for marine life. Salt marshes and beaches also support a diversity of plants, animals, and insects crucial to the food chain.

The high level of biodiversity creates a high level of biological activity, which has attracted human activity for thousands of years.

Human impacts[link]

Human uses of coasts[link]

A settled coastline in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Once a fishing port, the harbor is now dedicated to tourism and pleasure boating. Observe that the sand and rocks have been darkened by oil slick up to the high-water line.

This stretch of coast in Tanzania's capital Dar es Salaam serves as a public waste dump.

Houses close to the coast, like these in Tiburon, California, may be especially desirable properties.

An increasing part the global population inhabits coastal regions.^[5] Many of the world's major cities have been built on or near good harbors and have port facilities. Jurisdictions that are landlocked have achieved port status by such measures such as building canals.

The coast is a crucial frontier that nations typically defended against military invaders, smugglers and illegal migrants. Fixed Coastal defenses have long been erected in many nations and coastal countries typically have a navy and some form of coast guard.

Coasts, especially those with beaches and warm water are an important draw for tourists. In many island nations such as those of the Mediterranean, South Pacific and Caribbean, tourism is central to the economy. Coasts are popular destinations because of recreational activities such as swimming, fishing, surfing, boating, and sunbathing. Growth management can be a challenge for coastal local authorities who often struggle to provide the infrastructure required by new residents.

Threats to a coast[link]

Coasts also face many environmental challenges relating to human-induced impacts. The human influence on climate change is thought to be a contributing factor of an accelerated trend in sea level rise which threatens coastal habitat.

Pollution can occur from a number of sources: garbage and industrial debris, the transportation of petroleum in tankers, increasing the probability of large oil spills, small oil spills created by large and small vessels, which flush bilge water into the ocean.

Fishing has diminished due to habitat degradation, overfishing, trawling, bycatch and climate change. Since the growth of global fishing enterprises after the 1950s, intensive fishing has gone from a few concentrated areas to encompass nearly all fisheries. The scraping of the ocean floor in bottom dragging is devastating to coral, sponges and other long-lived species that do not recover quickly. This destruction alters the functioning of the ecosystem and can permanently alter species composition and biodiversity. Bycatch, the capture of unintended species in the course of fishing, is typically returned the ocean only to die from injuries or exposure. Bycatch represents approximately ¼ of all marine catch. In the case of shrimp capture, the bycatch is five times larger than the shrimp caught.

Also, the melting arctic ice will cause sea rise which will flood costal areas.

Conservation[link]

Extraordinary population growth in the 20th century has placed stress on the planet’s ecosystems. For example, on Saint Lucia, harvesting mangrove for timber and clearing for fishing drove the mangrove forests to low levels, resulting in a loss of habitat and spawning ground for marine life that was unique to the area. These forests also helped to stabilize the coastline. Conservation efforts since the 1980s have partially restored the ecosystem.

Types of coast[link]

According to one principle of classification, an emergent coastline is a coastline which has experienced a fall in sea level, because of either a global sea level change, or local uplift. Emergent coastlines are identifiable by the coastal landforms, which are above the high tide mark, such as raised beaches. Alternatively, a submergent coastline is a coastline which has experienced a rise in sea level, due to a global sea level change, local subsidence, or isostatic rebound. Submergent coastlines are identifiable by their submerged, or "drowned" landforms, such as rias (drowned valleys) and fjords.

According to a second principle of classification, a concordant coastline is a coastline where bands of different rock types run parallel to the shore. These rock types are usually of alternating resistance, so the coastline forms distinctive landforms, such as coves. A discordant coastline is a type of coastline formed when rock types of alternating resistance run perpendicular to the shore. Discordant coastlines feature distinctive landforms because the rocks are eroded by ocean waves. The less resistant rocks erode faster, creating inlets or bays; the more resistant rocks erode more slowly, remaining as headlands or outcroppings.

Other coastal categories:

• A cliffed coast or abrasion coast is one where marine action has produced steep declivities known as cliffs.
• A flat coast is one where the land gradually descends into the sea.
• A graded shoreline is one where wind and water action has produced a flat and straight coastline.

Coastal landforms[link]

Coastal landforms. The feature shown here as a bay would, in certain (mainly southern) parts of Britain, be called a cove. That between the cuspate foreland and the tombolo is a British bay.

The following articles describe some coastal landforms:

Cliff erosion[link]

• Much of the sediment deposited along a coast is the result of erosion of a surrounding cliff, or bluff. Sea cliffs retreat landward because of the constant undercutting of slopes by waves. If the slope/cliff being undercut is made of unconsolidated sediment it will erode at a much faster rate then a cliff made of bedrock. (Easterbrook 1999).
• A Natural arch is formed when a sea stacks is eroded through by waves.
• Sea caves are made when certain rock beds are more susceptible to erosion than the surrounding rock beds because of different areas of weakness. These areas are eroded at a faster pace creating a hole or crevasse that, through time, by means of wave action and erosion, becomes a cave.
• A Stack is formed when a headland is eroded away by wave and wind action.
• A Stump is a shortened sea stack that has been eroded away or fallen because of instability.
• Wave-cut notches are caused by the undercutting of overhanging slopes which leads to increased stress on cliff material and a greater probability that the slope material will fall. The fallen debris accumulates at the bottom of the cliff and is eventually removed by waves.
• A wave-cut platform forms after erosion and retreat of a sea cliff has been occurring for a long time. Gently sloping wave-cut platforms develop early on in the first stages of cliff retreat. Later the length of the platform decreases because the waves lose their energy as they break further off shore (Easterbrook 1999).

Rivers on the coastline[link]

• Delta
• Estuary
• Lagoon

Coastal features formed by sediment[link]

Coastal features formed by another feature[link]

• Lagoon
• Salt marsh

Other features on the coast[link]

Coastal processes[link]

The following articles describe the various geologic processes that affect a coastal zone:

Wildlife[link]

Animals[link]

Animals living along the coast vary enormously, some live along coasts to nest like puffins, sea turtles and rockhopper penguins. Sea snails and various kinds of barnacles live on the coast and scavenge on food deposited by the sea. Most coastal animals are used to humans in developed areas, such as dolphins and seagulls who eat food thrown for them by tourists. Since the coastal areas are all part of the littoral zone, there is a profusion of marine life found just off-coast.

There are many kinds of seabirds on the coast. Pelicans and cormorants join up with terns and oystercatchers to forage for fish and shellfish on the coast. There are also sea lions on the coast of Wales and other countries.

Plants[link]

Coastal areas are famous for their kelp beds. Kelp is a fast growing seaweed that grows up to a metre a day. Corals and anemones are true animals, but live a similar lifestyle as plants do. Mangroves and salt marsh are important coastal vegetation types in topical and temperate environments respectively.

Coastline statistics[link]

Coastline problem[link]

At some time in the years immediately preceding 1951, Lewis Fry Richardson in researching the possible effect of border lengths on the probability of war noticed that the Portuguese reported their measured border with Spain to be 987 km, but the Spanish reported it to be 1214 km. This was the beginning of the coastline problem, which is how to arrive at an estimate of a boundary that is infinite.^[6]

The prevailing method of estimating a border (or coastline) was to lay off n equal straight-line segments of length ℓ with dividers on a map or aerial photograph. Each end of the segment must be on the boundary. Investigating the discrepancies in border estimation Richardson discovered what is now termed the Richardson Effect: the sum of the segments is inversely proportional to the common length of the segments. In effect, the shorter the ruler, the longer the measured border; thus, the Spanish and Portuguese geographers were using different-length rulers.

The result most astounding to Richardson is that, as ℓ approaches zero, the length of the coastline approaches infinity. Richardson had believed, based on Euclidean geometry, that a coastline would approach a fixed length, as do similar estimations of regular geometric figures. For example, the perimeter of a regular polygon inscribed in a circle approaches the circumference with increasing numbers of sides (and decrease in the length of one side). In Geometric measure theory such a smooth curve as the circle that can be approximated by small straight segments with a definite limit is termed a rectifiable curve.

Describing a coastline[link]

More than a decade after Richardson's work was finished, Benoît Mandelbrot invented a new branch of mathematics, fractal geometry, to describe just such non-rectifiable complexes in nature as the infinite coastline.^[7] His own definition of the new figure serving as the basis for his study is:^[8]

I coined fractal from the Latin adjective fractus. The corresponding Latin verb frangere means "to break:" to create irregular fragments. It is therefore sensible ... that, in addition to "fragmented" ... fractus should also mean "irregular."

A key property of the fractal is self-similarity; that is, at any scale the same general configuration appears. A coastline is perceived as bays alternating with promontories. No matter how greatly any one small section of coastline is magnified, a similar pattern of bays and promontories on bays and promontories appears, right down to the grains of sand. At that scale the coastline appears as a momentarily shifting, potentially infinitely long thread with a stochastic arrangement of bays and promontories formed from the small objects at hand. In such a real environment (as opposed to smooth curves) Mandelbrot asserts^[7] "coastline length turns out to be an elusive notion that slips between the fingers of those who want to grasp it."

A coastline is definitely to be represented by a fractal. However, there are different kinds of fractals. A coastline is in "a first category of fractals, namely curves whose fractal dimension is greater than 1." That last statement represents an extension by Mandelbrot of Richardson's thought. Mandelbrot's statement of the Richardson Effect is:^[9]

Failed to parse (Missing texvc executable; please see math/README to configure.): L(\epsilon)\sim F\epsilon^{1-D}\,

where L, coastline length, a function of the measurement unit, ε, is approximated by the expression. F is a constant and D is a parameter that Richardson found depended on the coastline approximated by L. He gave no theoretical explanation but Mandelbrot identified L with a non-integer form of the Hausdorff dimension, later the fractal dimension. Rearranging the right side of the expression obtains:

Failed to parse (Missing texvc executable; please see math/README to configure.): \frac {F} {\epsilon^{D}} \cdot \epsilon

where Fε^-D must be the number of units ε required to obtain L. The fractal dimension is the number of the dimensions of the figure being used to approximate the fractal: 0 for a dot, 1 for a line, 2 for a square. D in the expression is between 1 and 2, for coastlines typically less than 1.5. The broken line measuring the coast does not extend in one direction nor does it represent an area, but is intermediate. It can be interpreted as a thick line or band of width 2ε. More broken coastlines have greater D and therefore L is longer for the same ε. Mandelbrot showed that D is independent of ε.

Notes[link]

1. ^ "Coast". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. http://www.bartleby.com/61/43/C0434300.html. Retrieved 2008-12-11. 
2. ^ Nelson, Stephen A. (2007). "Coastal Zones". http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/geol204/coastalzones.htm. Retrieved 2008-12-11. 
3. ^ Davidson (2002), p.421.
4. ^ Easterbrook (1999).
5. ^ Goudarzi, Sara (July 18, 2006). "Flocking to the Coast: World's Population Migrating into Danger". Live Science. http://www.livescience.com/environment/060718_map_settle.html. Retrieved 2008-12-14. 
6. ^ Drazin, P.G. (1993). "Fractals". In Ashford, Oliver M.; Charnock, H.; Drazin, P. G. et al.. The Collected Papers of Lewis Fry Richardson:. 1, Meteorology and numerical analysis. Cambridge University Press (CUP) Archive. pp. 45–46. ISBN 0-521-38297-1,. .
7. ^ ^{a b} Mandelbrot (1983) page 28.
8. ^ Mandelbrot (1983), page 1.
9. ^ Mandelbrot (1983), pages 29–31.

See also[link]

References[link]

• Burke, Lauretta A.; Kura, Yumiko; Kassem, Ken; Revenga, Carmen; Spalding, Mark; McAllister, Don (2001). "Coastal Ecosystems". In Hutter, Carolynne. Pilot Analysis of Global Ecosystems. World Resources Institute. ISBN 1-56973-458-5. http://pdf.wri.org/Page_coastal.pdf. 
• Davidson, Jon P.; Reed, Walter E.; Davis, Paul M. (2002). Exploring Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc. ISBN 0-13-018372-5, ISBN 978-0-13-018372-9. 
• Easterbrook, Don J. (1999). Surface Processes and Landforms (2 ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc. ISBN 0-13-860958-6, ISBN 978-0-13-860958-0. 
• Haslett, Simon K. (2009). Coastal Systems (2nd Edition). introduction to environment. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-44060-8. 
• Mandelbrot, Benoit B.. "II.5 How long is the coast of Britain?". The Fractal Geometry of Nature. Macmillan. pp. 25–33. ISBN 0-7167-1186-9, ISBN 978-0-7167-1186-5. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Coasts

• "Wild Coast USA". Sierra Club. http://www.wildcoast-usa.com/. Retrieved 2008-12-11. 
• "Data Explorer". NOAA's National Ocean Service. http://nosdataexplorer.noaa.gov/nosdataexplorer/. Retrieved 2008-12-11. 

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Roger Shah (aka Dj Shah, Sunlounger) is a German electronic music composer and producer.^[1]

Biography[link]

Early History: Born in Esslingen in southern Germany to a German mother and a Pakistani father. His brother is Pedro del Mar, also a Trance DJ, hosts a bi-weekly vocal trance show called Mellomania. Roger first began to hit his production stride in his native country in 1999 putting out the tracks ‘Claps’, ‘The Mission’ & ‘Tides of Time’. In 2003 his ‘High’ release was signed by Virgin Records imprint Nebula. This marked his first non-domestic release and over the course of the next 5 years he inked productions to a range of trance labels - ones that came to include Anjunabeats, VANDIT & Black Hole.

The Armin Connection: In 2007 Armin van Buuren named Shah’s ‘Who Will Find Me’ release as his favourite track of 2007. Having heard the demo of its follow-up, Van Buuren saw crossover potential in the track and made contact in early 2008 to ask if Shah would like to collaborate on it. The result was the Chris Jones song ‘Going Wrong’… A national top 5 smash in The Netherlands, the track went on to become one of the biggest selling trance singles of the year. From there Magic Island Records – Shah’s primary label moved from his own stable to that of one of Armin’s industry-leading Armada Music.

Magic Island Records: An imprint for both Roger’s own material and that of likeminded producers, Magic Island releases have quickly become fixtures in the CDJs of the world’s biggest spinners. Notable up and coming names like Ralph Fritsch, DJ Cosmo, Kim Svard and Walsh & McAuley have all had releases on the label.

‘Songbook’: The M.I. deal’s quickest produce of the Magic Island/Armada deal was Roger’s first artist album, ‘Songbook’. Strongly received by both press and fans alike, it was praised for its innovative dual club mix and acoustic version approach. Singles taken from it like ‘Don’t Wake Me Up’ and the aforementioned ‘Going Wrong’ & ‘Who Will Find Me’ (a Top 20 ASOT Tune of the Year in ‘08) proved to be particularly popular.

Live & DJ Performances: In late 2008 Shah took the decision to change his artist name. Dropping the ‘DJ’ prefix, he revised it to Roger Shah – a move that signalled a move away from straightforward DJ sets. His successive live-on-stage more concert themed ones have brought a percevible change to how trance music was presented to an audience. During live performance, Roger Shah frequently uses a wireless keyboard interface such as the M-Audio Oxygen 25 (25 key USB midi controller). Roger Shah has mentioned numerous times that will perform with his laptop instead of CD.

Pseudonyms & Side Projects: In addition to his own-name tracks, Roger has also produced under a matrix of other sun-tipped aliases. Notable among them are his ‘pka’ DJ Shah, High Noon at Salinas, Magic Island & Savannah. Shah is also one half of the Anjunabeats released act Purple Moods, Black Hole project Global Experience and ASOT’s Black Pearl, whose ’06 – ’09 spanning singles ‘Coral Sea’, ‘Java’, ‘Bounty Island’ and ‘Rise’ generated much additional interest in Shah’s solo productions.

Sunlounger: Sunlounger is without doubt Roger’s best known nom de plume. It was under this handle that he released the ‘Another Day On The Terrace' long-player in 2008. It reached No.1 on Dutch iTunes’ ‘all-music-genres’ chart and spawned four singles: ‘In & Out’, ‘Aguas Blancas’, ‘Crawling’ & ‘White Sand’. The project become so celebrated that Roger expanded Sunlounger into a live act - a performance of which was featured on Armada’s ArminOnly DVD. It was this experience that he credited with his latter wholesale move into live Roger Shah performances. In 2009 Roger released the Sunlounger follow-up LP ‘Sunny Tales'. It's progeny singles included ‘Catwalk’, ‘Mediterranean Flower’, ‘Change Your Mind’ and the much-revered ‘Lost’ - voted as Tune of the Year for the 2008 A State of Trance radio show hosted by Armin van Buuren.

‘Magic Island: Music For Balearic People’ – The Compilations: Shah’s compilation series has so far seen three outings (2007, 2008 & 2010). Encapsulating everything Roger stands for musically, their intrinsically White Island trance sound has sound-tracked an uncountable number of clubbers holidays. Roger typically uses the compilations as first-listen holders for future singles & collaborations with Vol.2 including ones with Signum, Judge Jules & Amanda O’Riordan and Tenishia.

‘Magic Island: Music For Balearic People’ – The Radio Show: Broadcasting weekly, Magic Island – Music For Balearic People is a 2 hour radio show carried by the DI-fm station and is currently being syndicated to many other countries, most recently including Mexico and Jordan. Presented by Roger every Friday between 21.00 GMT (22:00 CET), it showcases him playing melodic trance through the first hour with the 2nd focusing on Balearic, chillout and Dream trance.

Remixes: Shah has reworked tracks for legendary vocalists like Sarah McLachlan and Nadia Ali. He’s also remixed tunes for a litany of trance-masters including Tiësto, Armin Van Buuren, Mark Norman, York, Cosmic Gate, Josh Gabriel, Johan Gielen, System F, The Thrillseekers, Solarstone, Three Drives, Matt Darey & Oceanlab. Most recently Roger has rewired Andain’s ‘Beautiful Things ‘10’ and Richard Durand’s ‘Always The Sun’.

Discography[link]

Rachel Goswell (born 16 May 1971 in Fareham, England) is a singer-songwriter who was a vocalist with shoegazing pioneers Slowdive. Goswell, along with Neil Halstead, Ian McCutcheon and former Chapterhouse member Simon Rowe became Mojave 3 when Slowdive transitioned to a more country/folk rock style.^[1] She released a solo album in 2004.

History[link]

The year 2004 saw Goswell release solo recordings with co-writer Joe Light and producer David Naughton. Nine months after Mojave 3 released Spoon and Rafter, she released The Sleep Shelter EP. Waves Are Universal, her first full-length recording, appeared a month later. Tiny Mix Tapes described the record as "delicate and well-thought out" despite occasionally veering towards "the frankly repulsive world of adult contemporary" while Pitchfork Media thought the album was "warm [and] summery ... agreeable, if not very exciting".^[2][3] Stylus Magazine stated that Waves Are Universal is "a solid album that could appeal to both fans of [Goswell's] previous work and others".^[4] In February 2005, a limited edition remix 12" (also available as a download) entitled "Coastline"/"Plucked" was issued and features two mixes apiece from The Earlies and Ulrich Schnauss.

Personal life[link]

Goswell was married to Cuba's Christopher Andrews from 1994 until 2000.

Discography[link]

• The Sleep Shelter EP (May 17, 2004) 4AD BAD 2402
• Waves Are Universal (June 14, 2004) 4AD CAD 2414
• "Coastline"/"Plucked" single (February 14, 2005) 4AD TAD 2501

See also[link]

• Slowdive
• Mojave 3

References[link]

External links[link]

• Rachel Goswell 4AD page
• Rachel Goswell on MySpace
• Rachel Goswell at Allmusic

Mark Lanegan (born November 25, 1964) is an American alternative rock musician and singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Ellensburg, Washington, Lanegan began his musical career in 1985, forming the grunge band Screaming Trees with Gary Lee Conner, Van Conner and Mark Pickerel. During his time in the band, Lanegan also started a low-key solo career and released his first solo studio album, The Winding Sheet, in 1990. Since 1990, he has released a further six studio albums and has received critical recognition and moderate commercial success.

Lanegan has also collaborated with various artists and bands throughout his career. Following the dissolution of The Screaming Trees in 2000, he became a member of Queens of the Stone Age and is featured on three of the band's albums—Rated R (2000), Songs for the Deaf (2002) and Lullabies to Paralyze (2005). Lanegan also formed The Gutter Twins with Greg Dulli in 2003, released three collaboration albums with former Belle and Sebastian singer Isobel Campbell, and contributed to releases by Melissa Auf der Maur, Martina Topley Bird, Creature with the Atom Brain, Bomb the Bass, Soulsavers and Mad Season.

Lanegan has a distinctive baritone voice that has been described "as scratchy as a three-day beard yet as supple and pliable as moccasin leather"^[1] and compared to Tom Waits.^[2]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

In 1996, during an interview for Pacific Northwest periodical "The Rocket", he said that he drove a combine.^[3] It is known that he came from a 'dysfunctional' family that he tried to avoid, and was heavily into drugs by the age of 18, having already been arrested and sentenced to one year's imprisonment for drug-related crimes.^[4] He managed to get out of jail by taking a year-long rehab course. Around this time he met and befriended Van Conner with whom he would eventually form the Screaming Trees. At this point his relationship with the Conner brothers was restricted to talking about music and working for their parents' electronics hardware store.

Musical career[link]

Screaming Trees (1985–2000)[link]

Along with Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Nirvana, Screaming Trees were part of Seattle's emerging grunge scene in the early 1990s. The band was formed in 1985 by Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bassist Van Conner and Mark Pickerel.^[5] Mark Pickerel would later be replaced with Barrett Martin. Lanegan said "I was such a shitty drummer that they made me sing."^[3] The band signed to Sub Pop, releasing the Other Worlds EP in 1985 (Originally available only in a cassette format, the album was re-released on CD and LP by SST Records in 1987).^[5] Though the band was being courted by major labels, in 1985 they signed to Velvetone records to release their debut album, Clairvoyance.^[5] Musically the album is a combination of psychedelic music and hard rock, while it bears many similarities to early grunge.^[5]

In 1987, the band released their second effort, and their first for SST Records, Even If and Especially When.^[5] After the release of the album in 1987 the band began working on the American indie circuit, playing shows across the US.^[5] Their follow up album was Invisible Lantern released in 1988. Buzz Factory was the fourth full-length album by Screaming Trees and their final record released through SST released in 1989.

In 1991, the band released their fifth effort, and their first for a major label.^[5] Uncle Anesthesia was released in 1991 and was produced by Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell.^[5] Uncle Anesthesia included the single "Bed of Roses", which gained considerable airtime on alternative rock radio stations. The song peaked at number 23 on the modern rock tracks and was the first Screaming Trees release to chart.^[6] Barrett Martin replaced previous drummer Pickerel and the new line up recorded Sweet Oblivion in 1992.^[5]

Sweet Oblivion was the band's breakout album and included the singles "Nearly Lost You", "Dollar Bill", "Butterfly", and "Shadow of the Season". The two first singles gained considerable airtime on alternative rock radio stations, while the video for "Nearly Lost You" became an MTV and alternative radio hit in the fall of 1992, thanks to the momentum of the Singles soundtrack. "Nearly Lost You" peaked at number 5 on the Modern Rock Tracks and number 50 in the United Kingdom and was the first single to chart outside the United States.^[5] Sweet Oblivion sold a total of 300,000 copies in the United States.^[5] Although the Screaming Trees were viewed as one of the finest bands on the Seattle scene, they never drew the commercial attention that Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden had garnered.

The band's final album (recorded after in-fighting and uncertainty over the quality of the music the band was recording had brought about a hiatus^[3]), Dust was released in 1996. The album spawned several singles, including "All I Know", and "Dying Days" and peaked at number 134 on the Billboard 200 and number 39 on the Canadian album chart which was the first Screaming Trees album to chart outside the United States. Despite consistently favorable reviews, the album did not match the commercial success of Sweet Oblivion. Following the Dust tour in the United States, Screaming Trees took another hiatus for Lanegan to begin his work on his third solo album, Scraps at Midnight. The band headed back into the studio in 1999 and recorded several demos and shopped them around to labels, but no label was willing to take them on.^[5] The band played a few surprise shows in early 2000 and following a concert to celebrate the opening of Seattle's Experience Music Project, the band surprisingly announced their official breakup.^[5]

Solo work and other projects[link]

In 1990, Lanegan released his first solo album, The Winding Sheet via label Sub Pop (which at the time was home to friends Nirvana as well as Soundgarden and The Afghan Whigs). Lanegan had intimated that the album came around following a Leadbelly project he was working on with Mark Pickerel, Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic.^[3][7] The project was short lived and eventually other musicians became involved in the evolution to the debut solo record. From the Leadbelly sessions a version of "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" appeared on The Winding Sheet ("Ain't It a Shame", is available on the Nirvana box set With the Lights Out.^[7]) Cobain also supplied backing vocals on "Down in the Dark" on Lanegan's debut.^[8] The majority of the album was recorded with Pickerel on drums, Mike Johnson (who would later go on to play bass with Dinosaur Jr) on guitar, Steve Fisk on piano and organ, and Jack Endino on bass.^[7]

The second record, 1994's Whiskey for the Holy Ghost, was a far more cohesive recording, with such ethereal songs as "The River Rise", "Kingdoms of Rain", "Riding the Nightingale" and "Beggar's Blues".^[7] Taking nearly three years to make, the album came close to not seeing the light of day as Lanegan was set to throw the master tapes in a pond outside of the recording studio, only to be stopped by Producer Jack Endino at the last moment.^[7] ("Kingdoms of Rain" was re-recorded on the collaboration album with "Soulsavers" in 2007 and released as a single).

In 1995, Lanegan appeared on the album Above by Mad Season. The project was fronted by friend Layne Staley (Alice in Chains) and was formed in late 1994 by Staley, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, Barrett Martin of Screaming Trees and John Baker Saunders of The Walkabouts. Lanegan appeared on "Long Gone Day" and "I'm Above".^[9] In 1998, Scraps at Midnight was released. The album was recorded the previous winter at Joshua Tree, California and produced by long-time friend and collaborator Mike Johnson.^[7]

The fourth studio album was released in 1999. The album began life as B-Sides for singles from Scraps at Midnight (two tracks from the sessions appear on the single Hotel). Liking the way the sessions were shaping up, a few more were added and the recording was entitled I'll Take Care of You. The album features covers of songs by prominent folk, R&B and punk artists such as Tim Hardin, Booker T. and the MGs and friend Jeffrey Lee Pierce, as well as country icon Buck Owens.^[7] Also in 1999, Lanegan participated in the tribute album for Moby Grape co-founder, Skip Spence, who was terminally ill.^[10]

In 2001, he released his fifth studio album, Field Songs. The album featured friend Duff McKagan, as well as major contributions from Soundgarden's bassist, Ben Shepherd.^[11] 2003 saw him appear on Greg Dulli's The Twilight Singers record Blackberry Belle, sharing lead vocal duties on the epic closing track, "Number Nine". This would be the first in many collaborations with Dulli and The Twilight Singers.^[12]

On his latest solo album, Bubblegum (2004), Lanegan was joined by a cadre of prominent artists, including P. J. Harvey, Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri of Queens of the Stone Age, Greg Dulli of The Afghan Whigs and Twilight Singers, Dean Ween of Ween, and Duff McKagan and Izzy Stradlin, previously of Guns N' Roses.^[13] Also appearing on Bubblegum is Lanegan's ex-wife, Wendy Rae Fowler now in We Fell to Earth .^[14] The favorably reviewed album is his most commercially successful to date, reaching number 39 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart.^[6] Some would assume this is due to the appearance of several prominent musical figures, although the album did receive glowing review by critics.^[14]

Queens of the Stone Age live in Berlin 2005.

Queens of the Stone Age (2000–2005)[link]

Lanegan's first appearance on a Queens of the Stone Age album was on Rated R. Lanegan sang lead vocals on "In the Fade", background vocals on "Leg of Lamb", "Autopilot" and "I Think I Lost My Headache". Rated R became a commercial success and became the first Queens of the Stone Age album to chart.

Shortly after the release of Field Songs, Lanegan became a full-time member of Queens of the Stone Age. Lanegan appeared on the 2002 release entitled Songs for the Deaf, once again singing lead on the tracks "Song for the Dead", "Hangin' Tree", and "God Is on the Radio". The album became the band's big breakthrough and peaked at number 17 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA.^[15] He also toured in support for the album over the next two years.^[16] Mark toured full-time as a third vocalist for Queens of the Stone Age for support of Songs for the Deaf.^[16] Joining his friend Joshua Homme, who supported the Screaming Trees as their touring guitarist in 1996. The album received two Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy nominations for singles "No One Knows" (2003),^[17] and "Go with the Flow" (2004).^[18]

In 2005, Lanegan released his last album with Queens of the Stone Age entitled Lullabies to Paralyze where he sang lead vocals on "This Lullaby". The album was delayed during 2004 because of some changes to the line-up: bassist Nick Oliveri was fired and on-off vocalist Mark Lanegan went on tour to support Bubblegum.^[19] Lanegan would later appear for the support of the album.^[20] Lanegan left the tour for a while, citing exhaustion, but would return to finish the tour with the band.^[20]

Lanegan told Christina Fuoco of Live Daily "My relationship with these guys is one of the most satisfying that I've had". "It's great to play with, essentially, my best friends."^[20] When he was asked about the difference between Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age he said "It's all rock 'n' roll to me. A band is a band. They're really not that radically different. It's all rock music."^[20] Lanegan has continued to work with Queens of the Stone Age even after leaving the band. In 2007, he appeared on their album, Era Vulgaris, contributing background vocals to the track "River in the Road".

Collaboration with Isobel Campbell (2004–Present)[link]

Lanegan toured with Isobel Campbell in 2007 in support of their album Ballad of the Broken Seas.

In April 2004, Lanegan released an EP with former Belle & Sebastian vocalist Isobel Campbell, titled Time Is Just the Same. They would later release a single entitled "Ramblin' Man" for their collaboration album Ballad of the Broken Seas. Campbell wrote and recorded the majority of the album's tracks in Glasgow, with Lanegan adding vocals in Los Angeles. The record was well-received by critics who likened the duo to Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue.^[21]

In addition to providing vocals, Lanegan also wrote the track "Revolver" with Campbell. The album was nominated for the 2006 Mercury Prize.^[22] Lanegan and Campbell played four UK concerts in January 2007, with the London date being moved to a larger venue as a result of high demand for tickets. When making the decision to make a follow-up to Ballad of the Broken Seas, Campbell stated:

It was because he kinda disappeared for a year but in my heart I wanted to do another one because as soon as we’d finished Ballad of the Broken Seas I was writing new songs and I was like; "Oh God, I’ve got to get Mark to sing these."

After a concert with Lanegan in January 2007, Campbell asked Lanegan if he would consider making a new album, Lanegan replied: "in a heartbeat". This time Lanegan flew to Glasgow to record the new album at the end of March for nine days to record the songs Campbell had written. After working with Lanegan Campbell stated: "It is his classic, effortless American voice that I love". Campbell also stated that "I think I was playing about with that a lot so there’s a few of what Mark would call raunchy songs and a few ballads too".^[23] The album, Sunday at Devil Dirt, was released on May 5, 2008 with the track "Who Built the Road" being the only single released from it.

A third collaborative album with Campbell was released on August 16, 2010 entitled Hawk. The pair toured to promote the album, including a set at All Tomorrow's Parties, 10–12 December 2010 (Bowlie 2) curated by Belle & Sebastian and shows in Australia in 2011.^[24]

The Gutter Twins (2003–2009)[link]

The Gutter Twins at The Bowery Ballroom in 2008. From left: Greg Dulli, Mark Lanegan.

The Gutter Twins is the long awaited collaboration between Mark Lanegan and former Afghan Whigs/current Twilight Singers vocalist Greg Dulli. Working on a collaborative album since at least 2003, the pair first played as The Gutter Twins in Rome in September, 2005.^[25]

Saturnalia was released on March 4, 2008 on Sub Pop, a label both Dulli and Lanegan have worked with before. The duo's first tour commenced on February 14, 2008 in New York City and continued in March and April throughout Europe and the United States.^[26]

The album was a big hit and Blast Magazine's Liz Raftery ended up praising the album calling it "an audial descent into the dark emotions that often lurk beneath the surface."^[27] The album's highest position was at number 7 in Belgium. The album also peaked at number 117 on the Billboard 200. That means that Saturnalia is the first album since Screaming Trees' Dust that has charted at the Billboard 200 with Mark as a permanent band member.^[6][28] On September 2, 2008, The Gutter Twins released an EP called "Adorata" exclusively on iTunes. Adorata contains 8 tracks, most of them are covers, but also two Gutter Twins-songs that never made it to the album.

Lanegan along with Soulsavers.

Collaborations (2006–present)[link]

Lanegan has appeared on three releases with The Twilight Singers (Blackberry Belle, She Loves You and A Stitch in Time). In 2006, Lanegan toured with the band in Europe and Israel, which later expanded to include the United States.^[29] In 2008, Lanegan collaborated with Tim Simenon on a track entitled "Black River" which appeared on Simenon's fourth album under his Bomb the Bass moniker, Future Chaos.^[30]

In 2007, English electronica duo Soulsavers' album It's Not How Far You Fall, It's the Way You Land featured Lanegan on 8 out of 10 album tracks.^[31] As well as appearing as vocalist, the tracks "Revival", "Ghosts of You and Me", "Paper Money" and "Jesus of Nothing" are credited as written by Mark Lanegan and Soulsavers.^[31] The album also features a re-working of "Kingdoms of Rain", which was initially released on Lanegan's second solo album, Whiskey for the Holy Ghost. "Revival" and "Kingdoms of Rain" were released as singles from the album.^[31] Soulsavers recorded the tracks in England in 2005 and 2006, with Lanegan recording the vocal parts at Conway Studios in Los Angeles.^[31]

In 2009, Soulsavers again enlisted Lanegan with him contributing vocals for several tracks on their third studio album Broken.^[32] This led to a significant run of touring in support of the album, beginning on September 6, in Portland, Oregon.^[33] Following the tour of the United States, Lanegan continued to perform with them throughout their extensive run of European shows. These varied between headline gigs and slots in support of Depeche Mode.^[34] Having completed touring duties for Soulsavers, Lanegan announced a solo European tour. Shows focused specifically on his solo back catalogue, having not done so since touring finished in support of Bubblegum.^[35]

Also in 2009, Lanegan followed in Josh Homme's footsteps in collaborating with UNKLE, the British electronic act masterminded by James Lavelle. He contributed his vocals to "Another Night Out", the final track of the album Where Did the Night Fall (released in May 2010). The album was UNKLE's fifth regular studio album.

On August 12, 2010, Mark Lanegan re-joined Queens of The Stone Age on stage at the Nokia Club in Los Angeles, where he sang four encore songs with the band. The concert was put together to raise funds for Eagles of Death Metal bassist Brian O'Connor, who was diagnosed with cancer a few months prior to the event.

In 2011, Lanegan's music was featured in a trailer and end credits for the video game Rage^[36] and the soundtrack for the film The Hangover Part II. Lanegan's most recent solo album, Blues Funeral, was released in February 2012.^[37] Josh Homme, Alain Johannes, and Martyn LeNoble contributed to the creation of the album.^[38][39]

Discography[link]

• The Winding Sheet (1990)
• Whiskey for the Holy Ghost (1994)
• Scraps at Midnight (1998)
• I'll Take Care of You (1999)
• Field Songs (2001)
• Bubblegum (2004)
• Blues Funeral (2012)

References[link]