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Soulsavers - Broken
| Pitchfork |
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For most of the 2000s, Mark Lanegan has been a wandering samurai in search of a master. He released only two solo full-lengths and an EP this decade, and those have been handily overshadowed by his hired-gun work with Martina Topley Bird, Melissa Auf der Maur, and the Baldwin Brothers, as well as his collaborations with Greg Dulli and Isobel Campbell. He could easily take the lead on any of these projects, but Lanegan seems to think we'll like him better in small doses. That, or he's planning a sort of Yojimbo double-cross that will pit the Twilight Singers against Belle and Sebastian. Who knows where Soulsavers would come out in such a melee? The British duo-- Rich Machin and Ian Glover-- are something of an unknown quantity, especially on American shores. They formed in 2003 as an electronica outfit specializing in remixes for bands iike Starsailor and Doves. Their distinguishing characteristic seems to be their fascination with American traditional forms, texturing their songs with buzzy threads of blues, gospel, folk, and jazz. Reportedly, touring behind their second album, It's Not How Far You Fall, It's the Way You Land, shifted their priorities even further, away from programmed beats and toward live instrumentation to create a cinematic atmosphere on Broken, their third album and second with Lanegan....full text |
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| Popmatters |
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It’s hard to remember that Soulsavers is a collective now that Mark Lanegan’s draping his raspy croon all over things. The brainchild of producers Rich Machin and Ian Glover, Soulsavers is on only its third album, but Lanegan’s presence has taken their brooding, dark blend of electronica and grounded it firmly in a dark patch of earth. As on 2007’s It’s Not How Far You Fall, It’s the Way You Land, Lanegan (Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age) is undoubtedly at the heart of Broken, but he’s also joined by guests like Butthole Surfers frontman Gibby Haynes, Spiritualized’s Jason Pierce, Pulp’s Mike Hawley, and Faith No More’s Mike Patton. There’s also newcomer Red Ghost, who more than carries her weight in making Broken a first-class Soulsavers disc. Opening instrumental “The Seventh Proof” initially seems like a bit of misdirection, its stately piano and woodwinds standing in stark contrast to the uptempo songs that follow. “Death Bells” is a hard-charging rocker in the vein of former Soulsavers nuggets like “Ghosts of You and Me”, with Lanegan reveling in graveyard imagery, while “Unbalanced Pieces” is all slinky bassline and sensual. Those two tracks, though, begin to feel like Lanegan and company are just working off a little pent-up energy before getting to the real, sentimental business at hand. ...full text |
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| Bbc |
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When Soulsavers recorded 2007's It's Not How Far You Fall, It's How You Land they were out of contract, scraping by on credit cards and had just begun working with Mark Lanegan; not known for his frivolity. Unsurprisingly, it emerged as dark and depressed. Two years, a major label record deal and mountains of ecstatic reviews later, and the duo's prospects have brightened considerably, though their sound – as their fans will be relieved to hear – has not. Like its predecessor, Broken fuses delta blues, grizzled gospel and comedown electronica to create an atmosphere that is both grand and bleak. In fact, on initial listens the mood is so downbeat that songs blur oppressively into each other, not helped by a hoary blues vocabulary where blood is always ''cursed'', wounds ''never heal'' and bones are always ''weary.''...full text |
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