Soulsavers rolled through Chicago last night, but it was obvious everyone filling Double Door last night was there to see their frequent singer and collaborator Mark Lanegan. He presided over the evening's dark affair, and while he rarely moved just about every eye in the house was on him. It's hard to describe Lanegan's charms through pure description, since he stands stock still, doesn't address the crowd at all, and insists on stage lights that barely push through the darkness. But he is so focused on each song's delivery he becomes a hypnotic presence. He conveys more drama and emotion through sheer will than most other performers can do with a stage full of props. It's pretty incredible. more ›

Soulsavers is essentially a studio construction built by the duo of Rich Machin and Ian Glover. They create deft instrumental tracks that range from industrial scrawl to gospel wail. Their previous album was one of our favorites from 2007 primarily because amidst their meticulously crafted electro-soul rock jams, they employed an incredibly potent secret weapon in guest singer Mark Lanegan's vocals. Lanegan's presence took what would have been an interesting production project and elevated it into something viscerally appealing. more ›

MarkLanegan is, to us, a a marvel of nature. His distinctive voice first soared above The Screaming trees before splintering off to pursue both a solo career, and a long string of high-profile cameos with like minded souls, the two most recent being with Queens Of The Stone Age and Soulsavers. Greg Dulli led The Afghan Whigs, penning Gentleman -- one of the best albums of the '90s -- before pursuing his own brand of gutter-soul with The Twilight Singers. more ›