Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan
(Vanguard)
Initially, they seemed like rock's oddest couple, she being a former vocalist and cellist with Scottish shoegazers Belle & Sebastian and he the former front man with grunge rockers Screaming Trees and a reliable support player with Queens of the Stone Age. Regardless, after three collaborative efforts, the duo's found their footing by virtue of both somber, subdued ballads and coarse, swamp-filtered rumblings.
Consequently, Hawk remains as haunting and meditative as always, Lanegan's gruff, tattered vocals providing a distinct counterpoint to Campbell's timid nocturnal whisper. Likewise, credit Campbell's production prowess for injecting an ethereal ambiance and cinematic suggestion, especially evident in the mournful "No Place to Fall," the weary ramble of "Cool Water" and the hushed contemplation of "Sunrise." Occasional offerings shatter the mold-specifically, the raucous, squawking title track and the rugged rockabilly of "Get Behind Me"-and when the duo steer their twilight harmonies towards the easy rural sway of "Eyes of Green" and the rousing gospel-tinged "Lately," Hawk soars towards even greater heights.
DOWNLOAD: "Eyes of Green," "Lately" LEE ZIMMERMAN
