Soulsavers
“Broken”

With their last album, It’s Not How Far You Fall, It’s The Way You Land, Soulsavers marched the saints like some wild holy band. If you heard it, how could you forget that opening trio? “Revival,” a staggering and sublime gospel invocation, a near-flawless album starter, followed by the dark propulsive road trip of “Ghosts Of You And Me,” and then by “Paper Money,” where ecstatic wailings-in-tongue punctuate each chorus and leave me floored every time. It was heavy yet intimate gospel for us sinners, and Mark Lanegan, who inevitably dominates any project he’s attached to, did some of his best vocal work to date.

But it took me some time to appreciate Broken. For one, the album before left such an impression on me, and I wanted more of the same; Broken is a sweeter, more sentimental batch of songs, and although the album wears its devil’s tail with its angel wings comfortably, and, although I’ve grown to love it, I’m still waiting for another “Kingdom Of Rain.”

Another thing: all those guest appearances prove to be a case of blue balls: Jason Pierce, Gibby Haines, and Mike Patton’s vocal turns aren’t much more than sonic garnish, “tasteful” and “subtle” adornments set behind Lanegan’s own vocals. Teases, all of them! Which brings us to newcomer Red Ghost: I don’t envy anyone who has to duet with Mark Lanegan; it’s just not fair, especially if, at your worst moments, you sound like that chick from Evanescence. (That said, at her best moments, which aren’t often, Red Ghost pulls off some Fiona-Apple-meets-PJ-Harvey goodness.)

Finally, it’s a shame that one of the best songs recorded during the Broken sessions isn’t even on the album; “Sunrise” is nothing short of gorgeous. Will “Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy” Oldham is a fucking champ, and his vocal turn on this song, which was written by Lanegan, go well with the female harmonies that sing the title refrain, which in turn provide a nice contrast to the ironic lyrics: “Sunrise/Forgot to cover up my eyes/Should’ve covered up my eyes/Beauty wasted on me…” (Take note: THIS is the cool kind of irony, kids.) “Sunrise” was released as a single prior to the album’s release, and the b-side, “You Will Miss Me When I Burn” is on the album. (And Lanegan does a fine rendition of Oldham’s song.) Anyway, you can find “Sunrise” if you want to hear it–and you should.

If you’re going to listen to one song on Broken, check out “Some Misunderstanding.” Lanegan’s voice has never sounded so pleasant, which is itself worth hearing. “Some Misunderstanding” is a Gene Clark song, but it was written so that Lanegan could cover it. Lanegan and his choir sing a gentle warning of a chorus with infectious verve: “Well I know if you sell your soul to brighten your role/You might be disappointed in the light/We all need a fix at a time like this/But doesn’t it feel good to stay alive.” That shit is perfect.

But really, you need to give this whole album a proper listen—which means you need to listen to it as an album, even if Broken’s first half is a lot stronger than its second. I could go on about Rich Machin and Ian Glover’s quality production or bitch about how I don’t like the amount of guitar-noodling on this album compared to the last one, but I’m not going to. If Broken isn’t as good or as immediate as It’s Not How Far You Fall, It’s The Way You Land, at the very least, it reveals a singer widening his range and shows a band continuing to release exceptionally powerful music.

“A little Lanegan goes a long way.” So said my friend when I tried to get him into Soulsavers, and this is true. But that’s a good thing because I know I’ll need cool shit like this to tide me over when, as a semi-serious music reviewer, the listening gets ugly. And like Lanegan’s voice, the rest of the Soulsavers experience isn’t for everyone. But anyone who appreciates songs of despair for those curiously uplifting feelings they can conjure will enjoy this album.

P.S. If you miss ‘em that much, feel free to copy/paste this review onto Word so you can insert your own ironic homophobic jokes and multiple references to small wieners and gnarly vaginas.

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