Customer Reviews

Sunday at Devil Dirt

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This one's not quite as good as the superb "Ballad of Broken Seas" record, but it's growing on me. I especially like "Fight Fire with Fire" (not the Metallica song). I'm a sucker for Mark Lanegan's voice, so that bias should be noted. I think that Isobel Campbell does a great job of writing songs that suit his delivery. Hoping this isn't their last collaboration.

Highly recommended.

This Cd is really nice and continue this strange cnnection between Bariton voice of Mark Lanegan and nearly soprano voice of Isobel Campbell. The couple for this second effort stay in the secure tradition of ballads but with a fresh touch of some eletronic effects and the play of these two different kind of voices. It remind me the music of Nik Drake, the voice of Leonard Cohen with corist but with the wish to give an experiment way to the tradition path.
Four Stars because five are just for God!
Try to ge it and you will always enjoy it, give you a chance to get a beauty.

Honestly. great CD. Good for jamming in the car or for baking. Makes great gift for someone who your not familiar with what their musicial tastes are.
Consider Rock/folk/country/alternative/harmony in one album. Their voices make you want to fall in love...while the words move you.
great CD.

I absolutely loved the combination of the voice of Mark Lanegan and Isobel Campbell on the first album. This album continues the nice combination; however, for me the songs are missing that freshness that was present on the first album. Some of the songs seemed forced vs. the natural flow of the previous work. Also on this disc there is a song that started to wear thin after a few times of listening. There are still a few gems and one of the songs that I love the most is Sally don't you cry but most likely that is due to the fact that I would sing it to my new born daughter when she got fussy at night. This disc brings a few extra songs to the table vs. the import release in May. They are nice additions and add to the purchase power.
I would recommend this disc, but don't expect a better disc than Ballad.

This is the second release by the unlikely duo of Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, etc.) and Isobel Campbell (Belle & Sebastian), following up their debut of two years ago. This album works just as well as the first did, even if it doesn't necessarily present the listener with anything new. For those unfamiliar with this collaboration, what is given here, is a well-conceived collection of humble acoustic-based songs with storytelling-style vocals and lyrics, featuring the low-key and low-toned gloomy baritone of Mark Lanegan balanced almost too perfectly by the songbird voice of Isobel Campbell.

The album starts off slow, though with some good songs nonetheless, with the focus more on Lanegan. The fourth track, "Who Built the Road," provides something more interesting, with more of an interaction between the duo. "Come On Over" continues in this way, adding a decent string section, and provides something of a laid back lounge club atmosphere. "Back Burner" is a pleasantly grooving track that just barely borders on being monotonous at times, but never quite crosses that line. It also includes a guitar/organ interaction that merits more than one listen. Campbell's vocal section in the "The Flame that Burns" makes it an album highlight, but also makes her drawling singing in the following bluesy song a bit of a downer.

Overall, it's probably safe to say that if you enjoyed the first album, you will enjoy this one for the same reason(s), with the only major drawback being--as said before--the lack of variation. On another note, as consistent as the material is, since the album doesn't have any obvious catches, it could be said that: the more impatient the music listener, the less repeatable the album.

*This is the first of a three-review collection of mine, featuring three albums of 2008 somewhat comparable in style, all featuring boy-meets-girl vocals, and each unique in its own right.
- See _Sunday at Devil Dirt_ by Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan for a more casual and naturalistically folkish album, that is cheerful enough without being sugary, and gloomy enough without being depressing.
- See _Rest_ by Gregor Samsa for a more minimalist and artistic album that will appeal more to highly eclectic music listeners as well as fans of post-rock.
- See _Cove_ by A Weather for an album with similar placidity, and the catchy flow of pop music without actually being pop music.