Three albums into an initially very surprising collaboration, the sandpaper-and-velvet duo of Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan is finally cozy enough to play live in the U.S., including a stop at Neumo's on October 26. The third album, Hawk—following the acclaimed Ballad of the Broken Seas (2006) and Sunday at Devil Dirt (2008)—hits shelves August 24, but can be streamed via Campbell’s Facebook page now.
If you know Lanegan from his days fronting Ellensburg's Screaming Trees and have (ignorantly) tuned him out since, these atmospheric, South-souled songs will surprise you. If you're familiar with his eclectic, smoky solo catalog and/or work with the Soulsavers and Greg Dulli (as the Gutter Twins) or Campbell's Snuggie-soft voice (going back to 1996 with Belle and Sebastian), you'll be pleased. Either way, their latest work, though similarly fit for a long-forgotten, remote Texas tavern, is even more of a sonic—and somehow almost tactile—joy. (Campbell, the musical pants-wearer of the duo, produced.) Think salted caramel ice cream. First you wrinkle your nose, then you lick your lips.
Here's a quickly-penned reaction/review of Hawk's thirteen dusky, scene-setting songs, eight featuring Lanegan's awesome rasp, two surrendering the mic to young folkie Willy Mason (not actually featured on the Garden State soundtrack; more on that below), and one with fretwork from former Smashing Pumpkin James Iha.
"We Die And See Beauty Reign": Starts right off with the chorus refrain, a sweet duet. Sparse acoustic guitar. Not much to it and that's okay. Just a pleasant, mellow little ditty.
"You Won't Let Me Down Again": Ah, yes. Lanegan starts off, with Campbell's ahhhhh backing between verses. Pretty. With a solid, electric and acoustic guitar rhythm. Instantly hummable chorus (song's title). Dirty, bluesy electric guitar solo (Iha's work). A strangely uplifting song despite its rather downbeat, but hopeful?, lyrics.
"Snake Song": A backbeat-heavy Townes Van Zandt cover. Lanegan and simple, solid, twangy acoustic guitars in charge here. Impossible not to bounce a knee to. Great.
"Come Undone": String intro and fills reminiscent of their previous records. Lanegan again holds reins, with Campbell filling, sensually wrapping around his leads. "I can't get/close to you/I come undone." Ouch: "Oh love of my life/won’t you let me down easy." This is a slow dance number, but tough. Something you’d hear in a Tarantino flick, juxtaposed with brutal, ironic spousal abuse (or revenge).
"No Place To Fall": Uh, who's this dude that isn't Mark Lanegan who's singing? Isn't this an album by "Isobel Cambell & Mark Lanegan"? Why's he taking the lead with Campbell backing, as if he were the rusty, wonderful Lanegan? And why does he sound like that dude who made his dollar with that song on the Garden State soundtrack? Is it him? I hope not. I hate that guy.
"Get Behind Me": And now back to our regularly scheduled program, with a big, bad rollicking metallic riff and bouncing bassline. Oh, this is good. "We'll have a good time/underneath the stars." Oh, yeah. Gotta be the most rockin' song they’ve done. Like a folk song beefed up with country-guitar steroids. Galloping snare drum. Nice jam in the middle—and it just keeps going, with added rhythm. One of the best.
"Time Of The Season": Toe-tapping from note four. A Christmas song! Something about “"Kids, don't believe in Santa Claus." Oh, beautiful: "In your embrace/I found my place." Hopping the globe here: King's Cross, Birmingham, Zanzibar, Amsterdam. "If we stand a chance/we should take it/if we're feelin' love/then we should make it." More hope wrapped in uncertainty. A real duet, sharing each line equally. It's an instant beauty, one to play year-round but enjoy most during the holidays.
"Hawk": Whoa. Title track is mad, rollicking instrumental number—like the soundtrack in a hell-bound '50s roadster. Angry saxophone, tortured woman's scream floats in and out. I see a late-'50s ballroom full of sweating, twirling couples. All with red eyes flashing. Finishes in a chaotic, loose electric riff. Nice.
"Sunrise": All Campbell here, silky voice like a white sheet rippling in a breeze above the solo acoustic guitar. No rhythm needed. Short and sweet.
“To Hell & Back Again": Mellow strumming and undulent bass fades in with Campbell's voice. Reminds me of something, but don't know what. Thinking of Twin Peaks for some reason. Slow and beautiful. Some orchestral fills in latter half; "when he laid me down/when he brought me 'round." Tamborine. "And back again" repeats, fading out. Great song, totally without drama the title suggests.
"Cool Water": Oh great, here’s the not-Lanegan guy again. What was that Garden State song, something about a cup of coffee? I hate that song—and everything else I've heard from that guy. All sounds the same: boring. Sleepy. If Campbell wanted to sing with this dude, why not make a record with him and say it was by Isobell Campbell and That Garden State Dude?
"Eyes Of Green": "Have you ever seen my true love/the one that makes my heart strings sing?" Lanegan/Campbell equal duet again. Wow, blossoms into an Irish wedding song or something. Love it. Oh, and over when you're just getting into it. Could be another minute or two long.
"Lately": All Lanegan—oh, and a female gospel choir-sounding back, singing the title and filling on the chorus. Awesome. (A little Soulsavers-ish, too.) "Move forward now and leave the past behind." A little acoustic mini-solo here and there. Could put this one in a wedding playlist. Or in a movie where Julia Roberts actually marries the great guy she's been cool on—if it was an indie flick without Julia Roberts. Ends with a gospel vocal flourish. Very nice. More optimism somehow wrapped in melancholy. Or is it the other way around?
Subscribe to our Front Page Stories
Most Recent Comments