Soulsavers

Soulsavers are an English group from England, United Kingdom, also known as The Soulsavers Soundsystem. The project is a production and remix team made up of Rich Machin and Ian Glover, and it is active from 2003 to the present. Its music is generally described as downtempo electronica with influences from rock, gospel, soul and country, and its listed genres include gospel and indie rock. The group releases material on San Quentin Recordings.

Career

Soulsavers begin with a run of EP releases in 2000 to 2002, before recording their first studio album, Tough Guys Don't Dance, in 2003. Josh Haden, bassist and vocalist with Spain, sings and co-writes three of the album’s nine songs. The release does not achieve notable commercial or critical success. After the 2004 EP Closer, the duo work on mixing tracks for other artists.

The next major phase starts in 2006 with Mark Lanegan. On It's Not How Far You Fall, It's the Way You Land, Lanegan sings on eight of eleven tracks and co-writes five songs. The album also includes a version of his song “Kingdoms of Rain”, which first appears on Whiskey for the Holy Ghost. Soulsavers record the album in England, with Lanegan completing his vocals in Los Angeles.

Broken follows in 2009. Lanegan sings on nine of thirteen tracks and co-writes eight songs. The album also features Mike Patton, Jason Pierce, Richard Hawley and Gibby Haynes. The non-album single “Sunrise”, written by Lanegan and sung by Will Oldham, appears before the album, and its B-side is a cover of Palace Brothers’ “You Will Miss Me When I Burn”, also written by Oldham and sung by Lanegan. Broken also includes “Kingdoms of Rain”.

Film and television work

Soulsavers also work as film score composers, including for BattleGround: 21 Days on the Empire's Edge, produced by the Guerrilla News Network. Their song “Revival” appears in Grey's Anatomy, Friday Night Lights, the snowboarding film That's It, That's All and the trailer for Machine Gun Preacher. “Kingdoms of Rain” also appears in the Lie to Me episode “Truth or Consequences”.

Work with Dave Gahan

In late 2009, Soulsavers support Depeche Mode on the European leg of the Tour of the Universe. This leads to collaboration with Depeche Mode singer Dave Gahan on The Light the Dead See, released in 2012. The album contains ten songs and two instrumental tracks, with Gahan writing all the lyrics and singing lead vocals throughout.

Soulsavers and Gahan continue working together on Angels & Ghosts, which appears in 2015. Two singles, “All this and nothing” and “Shine”, are released from it, and a short tour follows, with songs from the new album, The Light the Dead See, Depeche Mode songs and Gahan solo material in the encore.

After this, Machin and Glover issue the fully instrumental Kubrick, made up of eight tracks. The group then pauses activity before returning with Imposter in 2021, credited to Soulsavers with Dave Gahan.