Say It With Garage Flowers

Soulsavers’ latest offering Broken was by no means an easy listen, but
it was one of the most atmospheric, haunting and downright brilliant
records I’d heard in a long time.

 
The third album from the English production duo of Rich Machin and Ian
Glover saw them reunited with gloom-monger Mark Lanegan (Screaming
Trees, Queens of The Stone Age) who lent his whiskey-soaked and
nicotine-ravaged vocals to the majority of songs.

 
Sheffield baritone Richard Hawley also put in an appearance, as did
Jason Pierce (Spiritualized), Mike Patton (Faith No More) and Gibby
Haynes (Butthole Surfers).

Yep, it was one hell of a (funeral) party, soundtracked by sinister
pysche-rock, sombre ballads,edgy trip-hop and spiritual soul and
gospel – an album that was both unsettling and beautiful.

You Will Miss Me When I Burn, written by Will Oldham,

was a piano and strings lament, with Lanegan crooning,

“When you have no-one, no-one can hurt you.”

If it didn’t move you, then truly you did not have a heart.

 
The twilight country shuffle of Shadows Fall (with Hawley on backing
vocals) was one of the highlights – all Midnight Cowboy harmonica and
‘weeping’ strings, while Pharoah’s Chariot (with Pierce) was a deathly
Nick Cave-esque track – with a mournful orchestral arrangement and
murderous twangin’ guitar.

There was also an epic take on Gene Clark’s Some Misunderstanding,

with some ragged Neil Young-style riffing.

Sometimes when I’m playing Broken I have an unsettling feeling that
maybe I’m listening to the sort of music that serial killers have on
their headphones when they’re going about their business.

Then to lighten the mood, I just look at the sleevenotes; ‘Recorded in
Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, London, Berlin, Sydney &
Stoke-on-Trent’. . .