Mark Lanegan and Isobel Campbell: reissues of "Sunday At Devil Dirt" and "Hawk" out now

The partnership between Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan was one of the most singular and fascinating encounters in the indie-folk of the 2000s: on one side, the former cellist and singer of Belle And Sebastian, with her fragile, ethereal voice; on the other, the former frontman of Screaming Trees, with that cavernous, blues-laden timbre that seemed to come from another world. This November two pivotal chapters of their collaboration, “Sunday At Devil Dirt” and “Hawk“, will return to shops.
Cooking Vinyl has in fact announced the reissue of both albums for November 6th, once again available on 180-gram vinyl, CD and digital.

The duo's story had begun with “Ballad Of The Broken Seas“, released in 2006 and nominated for the Mercury Prize. Campbell and Lanegan had built the album working remotely, exchanging recordings and ideas over the internet. The contrast between their personalities was already at the heart of the project: the Scottish musician's delicate folk met the blues, country and desert atmospheres so congenial to Lanegan. A balance still imperfect, but intriguing enough to push them to continue the experiment.
Two years later came “Sunday At Devil Dirt”. Another “clash between angels and demons”, between the grime of the blues and the candor of folk-pop. Compared to the debut, though, the blend of the two voices proved far more convincing. “Seafaring Song” found Lanegan and Campbell immersed in guitar and strings, while the nocturnal “Come On Over (Turn Me On)” emphasized the more sensual, restless side of their music. On “The Raven” Campbell's ethereal voice acted as counterpoint to Lanegan's sulfurous register, while “Who Built The Road?” pushed the dialogue between the two toward a dramatic, cinematic dimension. Contrast nonetheless remained the project's true raison d'être. Lanegan could venture into the almost shamanic atmospheres of “Back Burner”, while Campbell emerged in the sensual interplay of slide guitar and jazz piano on “Shot Gun Blues”. Not all the ballads sustained the same intensity, but “Sunday At Devil Dirt” showed how what had initially seemed an almost impossible combination had by then found a language of its own.

The process reached maturity in 2010 with “Hawk”, the third and final album made together. The record marked a further step forward, especially in the quality of the rapport between the two performers: their respective identities were no longer simply juxtaposed, but could now swap roles and territories.
Lanegan managed to lighten his register on the folk-pop of “Time Of The Season”, while Campbell showed a rougher side on “You Won’t Let Me Down Again” and on the rockabilly of “Get Behind Me”. Alongside the folk-blues rough edges there was room for the desert-country of “Snake Song”, a “Come Undone” close to the more languid atmospheres of Lanegan's repertoire, and two Campbell duets with Willy Mason, “No Place To Fall” and “Cool Water”. The Scottish singer also carved out two solo turns for herself, “Sunrise” and “To Hell & Back Again”.
It was the culmination of a journey in which two musicians who had started out worlds apart had gradually learned to occupy the same sonic space. As the OndaRock monograph on Mark Lanegan also recounts, by the time of “Hawk” Campbell and Lanegan came across as a true artistic couple, no longer as two personalities simply placed side by side for contrast.

Sixteen and eighteen years after their release, the new editions of “Hawk” and “Sunday At Devil Dirt” bring back into the spotlight a collaboration cut short by Lanegan's death in 2022, and one that remained especially dear to Isobel Campbell. “No words can express how much these records mean to me. They are my heart”, Campbell said in presenting the reissues. “Making these albums, writing the songs and working with Mark allowed us to explore this strange and beautiful meeting point between our two musical worlds”. Campbell remembered Lanegan as a “singing partner, friend and muse”, stressing how much his absence still weighs on her and, at the same time, how alive his artistic legacy remains. For that very reason, she added, being able to make the two albums available again carries a special significance today.

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