Soulsavers Broken (V2)
There are moments of dark, delicious beauty on this, the second coming of the British writing/producing duo Rich Machin and Ian Glover.
They team up again with gravel-voiced American singer Mark Lanegan and begin proceedings with a few surprises. A gentle piano on the opening The Seventh Proof, gives way to brash, very loud guitars and a deep grind on both Death Bells and Unbalanced Pieces.
But don't be scared off by the noise. A majestically haunting take on Will Oldham's You'll Miss Me When I Burn sets the tone for the rest of the trip.
This is a blues- and gospel-tinged delight, sending even Lanegan's guttural growls spiralling upwards. The themes are - as the title suggests - all about love, and its seemingly inevitable loss. But it's a case of singing away those sorrows.
By the time mercurial Australian songstress Red Ghost joins for two tracks - shining on her own on Praying Ground and proving more than a match for Lanegan on Rolling Sky - the spell has most definitely been cast.