ever since i stumbled upon the production boffins known as soulsavers music (the ‘the’ seems to have been dropped for the new stuff), i have followed their path as closely as possible.

the band are probably most well known for their namedropping remixes (hello doves, starsailor, broadway project, and even the beastie boys), it is in fact the duos own music that has always been the main attraction for me. while many would probably lump the music in with the glut of downtempo music that props up coffee tables across the globe, i have found something far more rewarding in rich’s and ian’s late night soundtracks.

maybe it’s the inherent love for dark cover art that they seem to revel in, the mix of religious overtones and epic grandeur, or could it be the bands love for tracking down lost survivors of the post grunge era and strapping on vocals from these broken souls as opposed to a model-for-hire chanteuse, that give the results a deeper resonance with me?

where the overlooked debut, tough guys dont dance, had the presence of spains vocalist, josh haden, this time around they have really pulled out a coup of the highest order. gravel voiced mark lanegan graces 8 out of the forthcoming albums 11 tracks, so if that doesn’t rattle the mainstream media into action, then i give up. especially if the end results are all as special as these 2 sample offerings that have been given a limited 10″ release on v2.

the use of the nicotine ravaged vocals of mark naturally invokes thoughts of having lived life on the edge and in some cases, beyond, with the owner of the voice experiencing battles with inner demons few of us could ever imagine. of course, having read interviews with mark, i guess this association is to be expected. so, with these history related memories, when the combined heavy piano chords and plucked acoustic guitars match up, the stripped down atmospheric effect is jaw droppingly, shiver up the spine, cliche after cliché special. there isn’t a cat in hells chance that this will hit radio play despite the fact that the song could quite easily have the same crossover potential as johnny cash’s version of nine inch nails hurt, but that’s no fault of the band, or song. second taster, jesus of nothing, introduces a deep-n-low beat to the proceedings, wrapping the beat with reverb and echo and far away sitars provide an air of exotic charm that seems to be at odds with marks declarations about gods favourite cross bearer, but still manages to drive the song into new realms of wonder.

i genuinely can’t wait until the album, it’s not how you fall, it’s the way that you land hits in april.