Isobel Campbell amp Mark Lanegan - Sunday at Devil Dirt (17 tracks) +Album Reviews

Another beautifully dark record from this duo

Stargrazer | deep in the heart of Michigan | 11/22/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Those who enjoyed "Ballad Of The Broken Seas" will be pleased by this extension of the Campbell-Lanegan collaboration. "Sunday At Devil Dirt" continues many of the threads of the previous album. Lanegan's earthy throat is contrasted with Campbell's nearly otherworldly whisper, strings and pianos augment spare guitar finger picking and strumming, and the mood is resplendent with lingering love, loss, and regret.

One difference is that on Devil Dirt, 100% of the music and lyrics are penned by Campbell. Lanegan takes the backseat as far as songwriting is concerned, instead delivering humanly-rendered vocal contributions that make many of the songs his. Tropes revolve around botanical imagery, views of the road, sepia-washed nostalgia for Americana and Southern gothic folk.

Where Ballad of the Broken Seas zigs and Sunday At Devil Dirt zags is largely in the production aesthetic. Broken Seas had (slightly) punched-up production (by comparison) and Morricone-esque arrangements in places, Devil Dirt seems ever-so-modestly laid back by comparison. Lanegan's vocals are a touch further back and the arrangements are a touch more straightforward. Both albums benefit from this difference in production aesthetics: Devil Dirt may be a little more accessible to country and folk traditionalists, and none of Broken Seas' novel shine is tarnished. In fact, if the sequence of events wasn't a matter of record, Devil Dirt might come off as the recordings that led up to Broken Seas, rather than vice versa.

A great addition to both Lanegan's and Campbell's catalog, it's good to see this record finally finding domestic release. The five bonus cuts make me glad I didn't get impatient and order the import."

Brilliant, Dark, and Sexy

Kevin P. Mccarthy | Florida | 11/25/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I was younger I was a HUGE Screaming Trees fan (until the Uncle Anesthesia)source of Mark Lanegan.While Nirvana was getting huge, the Trees were kinda overlooked. Fast forward and I really got into a lot of Scottish bands such as Teenage Fanclub, the Delgados, Arab Strap, and Belle and Sebastian (source of Isobel Campbell early on until she left). Campbell really shined in Gentle Waves which validated my closeted love of old 60s chanteuses. Bringing these two together is like the old Reese's commercials (Hey, you got chocolate in my peanut butter!). Two great, but different tastes that taste even better together.

Lanegan has the worn leather, bourbon and cigarette yet velvety butterscotch warm and fuzzy blanket quality to his voice.

Campbell does not have as many vocals on this title as on the previous CD, but she has this sweet and sexy voice you want to crawl up in and never leave.

The combined force of their voices is like a blunt explosion of emotion. While there are no standouts like Ramblin Man, this is a cd that creates a world that seems somewhat familiar but somehow foreign, and one in which I want to stay in. The photography (as in previous titles) creates a strange sense of nostalgia that is so similar to the music. In fact the complete package is what Lee Hazelwood and Nancy Sinatra were trying to do decades ago but were hampered by the limitations of the Sinatra market and the music industry in general at the time, but do find their album and you will hear the roots of Campbell/Lanegan in the original "Some Velvet Morning" (although Slowdive does a nice version).

Alt country fans of bands/musicians like Whiskeytown/Adams, Old97s/Miller, Son Volt/Farrar will like this too."

Hauntingly beautiful it you let it be.

Tami Kanas | Auburn, CA United States | 11/21/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First off, this is not an album for the general masses. A lot of people will hear Mark Lanegans deep gravely voice and turn it off. But if you give your mind time to adjust to his voice and allow it to hear everything else, you will discover a beautiful album, almost hypnotic. The instruments and string arrangements recall the late 60's, early 70's Moody Blues. (particularly the song Raven). Listen to this one in a reflective mood. Its not a party album but its a great listen when you're by yourself and low lights or driving. Like a good wine, this one needs to breathe to allow its magic to come out."

Solid Work : An Album that Defied the Odds

Cabir Davis | 03/26/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Isobel Campbell has a very interesting interview online where she talks about "Sunday at Devil Dirt" and how difficult it was to get it released. Both she and Mark Lanegan worked hard on this record, but Isobel was nearly down and out financially halfway through the record, and invested her remaining savings into actually completing it. Add to that the clashes with the record label, actually releasing the album, and finding that it didn't do that well commercially. You have to remember that this album was initially released only in the UK (with a shorter tracklisting and different cover-art), but when it was finally (like a miracle) picked up for US Distribution, Isobel went back to the vaults and added on songs she thought should have been there in the first place. What we have now is the definitive "Sunday at Devil Dirt", easily the best collaborative effort Isobel has ever worked on.

I first discovered her in 2003, when I bought "Amorino" simply based on one review from an independent music magazine. That album remains Isobels' crowning achievement (even better than her work with Belle & Sebastian), but its ironic that her solo work is decidedly more evolved that her work with groups or other people. "Milk White Sheets", her second solo album, was mellower and more gentle than her debut, but it lacked a certain something.

When she first collaborated with Lanegan on "Ballad of the Broken Seas" from a few years ago, reviewers were positive only because of the sharp contrasts in their voices - Isobels' feathery whispers contrasted beautifully with Lanegans' Tom Waits-esque husky delivery. Their voices are on two extremes of the human vocal cord - and its exactly this stark difference that makes their recordings so vital, so interesting.

"Sunday at Devil Dirt" has been expanded for its North American release, and thats a good thing. Five songs : Fight Fire With Fire, Asleep On a Sixpence, Violin Tango, Rambling Rose, Clinging Vine and Hang On; have been added, and the album feels more spacial, more sprawling. The downside is that the first four tracks have a sense of 'sameness' to them, which is what I believe has prompted some reviewers to claim that 'all the songs sound alike'. This is in part true, especially if you are not used to this sort of ambient music that has roots in acoustic folk & Americana.

The best way to describe the work of Isobel and Mark to a layman is to compare it to the Australian track "Where the Wild Roses Grow" by Kylie Minogue and Nick Cave, from the 1990s. That song almost serves as a blueprint for every track here - as the melodies - be it jazz, alternative country, or just plain bluegrass - are all stripped of genre and made to sound virtually alike - in the context of THIS album, this method actually works, as the entire albums functions as some sort of elaborate setpiece for a road movie, or better still, your own personal roadtrip.

Isobel Campbell is definitely one of the most underrated and under-appreciated musicians of this century. Reading her almost self-deprecating interviews, I doubt even she knows how good she actually is. Between her studio albums ("Amorino" and "Milk White Sheets"), her work with Bill Wells (an obscure 2002 album called "Ghost of Yesterday" featuring smoky jazz covers), and her work as The Gentle Waves (an ambient band that composes pastoral masterworks set to minimal vocals), she is certainly an artist who works well with what shes given. If youre new to her, check out "Amorino" first, and then experiment with some of my suggestions above.

"Sunday at Devil Dirt" could well be the Album of 2009, bested perhaps only by "Noble Beast" by Andrew Bird. Its certainly deserving of a purchase, and merits an instant spot in your indie-music record collection.

Four Stars."

Amazing

Mack S | KS | 03/13/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What more can I say than... what an amazing album. I loved the first one and this could very well trump it. Im not by any means an expert or music critic, but I know what I like and I love this album. If you enjoyed Ballad of the Broken Seas, you will enjoy this one as well."

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