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Product Description
Review
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.''
Understandably, many will lack the appetite for second helpings. But for those who persevere, there are enough gleams of light poking through the cloud cover, and enough slowly revealed surprises to make the effort worthwhile. So while Death Bells is too dourly self-regarding to truly love, and the long, creaky Gene Clark cover Some Misunderstanding sounds distressingly like Chris Rea, other songs see Soulsavers live up to their considerable reputation.
One is Unbalanced Pieces, where the solemnity of Lanegan's central melody is lifted by a skulking, hypnotic bass and one of the album's few big, hummable choruses. You'll Miss Me When I Burn is far starker, based around little more than a mournful, circling piano, but is all the more moving for its simplicity.
Unusually, the album saves its best surprises for the end, when Red Ghost makes a late, strangely uplifting appearance. On the sweet, sad-eyed lullaby of Praying Ground, the Australian sings with an authority and assurance remarkable in a newcomer. Even more boldly, she more than holds her own on her duet with Lanegan, Rolling Sky, which is as menacing and unpredictable as an approaching storm.
Broken is probably too stubborn and idiosyncratic to win over many who haven't already acquired a taste for either Soulsavers or Lanegan. But those who have are likely to love it deeply and fiercely. --Jaime Gill
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Utterly fantastic and better than the last... for the most part,
By
This review is from: Broken (Audio CD)
This album is as close as us Lanegan fans have gotten to a new solo album in quite a while, with Bubblegum, his last, having just celebrated its 5th year of existence. The sheer quantity of tracks here featuring the familiar 'Warmth At The Back Of Your Throat After A Shot Of Whisky' vocals is sure to keep us lot happy for a while.Compared to his for the most part subpar collaborations with Isobel Campbell, and his comfort zone in the Gutter Twins (not that Saturnalia wasn't a great album), Lanegan really stretches himself on this one. You'll have your heart broken again and again, in the sweetest sense possible. Tales of regret and inner turmoil have always been the Lanegan standard, but here the vocal meoldies soar just that bit more due to the production work - Mark's voice sounds richer because of the sheer amount of musical embellishment behind his voice. Be it wall-of-sound guitars, amazing back-up harmonies, maturely put-together string sections or a wealth of backup singers (including Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers!!) who are in their own right well-known enough to carry a song by themselves but who are humble enough to just add to them. However, the extra star missing from this review is due to a genuinely uninspired Lanegan cover from newcomer Red Ghost. Like many people I had talked to prior to the release of this album I got myself into a bit of a state in anticipation of this new Lanegan interpretation, 'Praying Grounds'. Being that the cover of 'Kingdoms of Rain' from their last album, It's Not How far You Fall, It's The Way You Land, was completely astounding and added to the songs without taking anything away from it (not an easy thing to do to a classic such as KoR), I was looking forawrd to this a lot. Then they got Red Ghost to do lead on it, Lanegan doesn't even do backup, and what do you get: a pale imitation rather than a logical step forward. None of the passion of the original is present here. However, that's not to say I dislike her voice - she just missed the Mark (Oh see what I did there!) with her rendition of this one particular number. I really can't understand why someone who so clearly doesn't 'get' where the original was coming from was allowed as a guest to take the lead on this one, but hey. Rolling Sky, another song featuring Red Ghost, is fantastic so don't be totally put off. Now release a 'proper' solo album, Lanegan! Get it done!
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Songs For Sinners and Saviours,
By
This review is from: Broken (Audio CD)
More splendidly gloomy stuff from Messrs Machin and Gloverand their estimable collaborators. Dark, funereal and strangely uplifting on occasion, 'Broken' is music for a night in with a good bottle of red wine for company ( a Romanee-Conti or Richebourg would do nicely ). Ideally the wind will be lashing the rain mercilessly against your windowpanes. Opening track 'The Seventh Proof' is a beautifully constructed instrumental overture. The tolling bell is an inspired little detail. The reflective prelude is swept away by the violently raucous mayhem of 'Death Bells', a composition redolent of Nick Cave in one of his big, bad evangelical preacher moments. You can almost smell the fire and brimstone ! Mr Lanegan, though clearly leader of the pack, is not alone in providing some marvellous moments within the 13 tracks comprising this largely gloomy (in a good way) collection. Red Ghost's duet with him on 'Rolling Sky' is a richly layered tour de force. Richard Hawley's contribution to 'Shadows Fall' also deserves a special mention. There is an almost cinematic quality to many of the songs. Songs for sinners and saviours and imaginary westerns. The fiercely emotional intensity of 'You Will Miss Me When I Burn' is almost unbearable. "When you have no-one no-one can hurt you" - Ouch indeed ! 'Praying Ground' has garnered some criticism for Ms Ghost's performance. I loved it. So too her rendition of final track 'By My Side', a very moving conclusion to a very fine album. Almost certainly a strong contender for inclusion in my top ten albums of 2009. Essential.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very good indeed.,
By
This review is from: Broken (Audio CD)
Mark Lanegan conjures up more dark, hypnotic & mournful music with his low and husky voice. This time its a blend of indie, blues, gospel and electronic. He's helped out with a few chums too. Lanegan duets with Richard Hawley on Shadows Fall, while Mike Patton adds vocals on the song Unbalanced Pierces. Death Bells shimmers into existence and is driven along by fractured squealing guitar in an almost jammy/proggy way. Theres even a full blown solo at the end. Some Misunderstanding by contrast is a gorgeous heartfelt ballad based around lush acoustic chords and arpeggios that would have been a brilliant cover for Jeff Buckley. Very good indeed.
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