Following the singles “The Beginning (My God)” and “Too Many Rivals,” today Humanist shares the new single “Brother” from their upcoming album. On the edge of a lost and lonely world Available July 26th through Bella Union.
The song features soulful vocals from Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan and is a touching tribute to the late great Mark Lanegan with whom Humanist's Rob Marshall collaborated on albums. Gargoyle and Someone is calling.
Commenting on the track, Rob Marshall says: “A week after Lanegan left, Ed Harcourt approached me regarding one of the musical ideas he had shared. He remembered Mark's habit of affectionately calling his closest allies “brother.” That's what he always called me too. This endearing term implied a camaraderie similar to that of a close-knit family. The song became 'Brother'. When I heard it for the first time, immersed in the music, emotions arose and memories flooded my mind. Initially overwhelmed, I was moved to tears by the sheer power of it all. Dave Gahan, another of Mark's old friends, seemed like the perfect candidate for vocals, and after hearing the song, he was all for it. The song came more to life as more of Mark's old companions entered the scene: Isobel Campbell's haunting cello, Sietse van Gorkom's soulful strings, all intertwined in a cathartic symphony of remembrance and reverence. “It is a humble tribute to a colossal soul, but it is undeniably appropriate.”
The song is accompanied by a striking black and white video. Watch and listen to it BELOW:
Along with Dave Gahan, On the edge of a lost and lonely world features guest appearances from an all-star cast of vocal talent including Tim Smith (Midlake/Harp), Isobel Campbell, Ed Harcourt, James Allan (Glasvegas), Peter Hayes (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club), Carl Hancox Rux and more.
On the edge of a lost and lonely world, The second album from Rob Marshall's Humanist project, it showcases the vocal talents of several iconic artists. This select cast navigates a masterful expansion of the humanist soundworld, broadening and deepening the terrain first explored on the highly praised 2020 debut album, further cementing the emergence of Rob Marshall (Exit Calm guitarist and co-writer of the celebrated track from Mark Lanegan). Gargoyle and someone is calling albums) as a songwriter, songwriter and producer with a singular musical vision.
The album is a reminder of how emotionally impactful guitar-based music can be at its best: soaring, turbulent, introspective and, above all, sincere; You can hear that Rob has been through it all, carries the scars to prove it, and has come out wiser, more experienced, and more resilient. As an old school romantic artist, it's obvious that Rob means business. On this second Humanist album, there seems to be a lot at stake: here is a man's soul, painstakingly laid bare.
Although on the edge of a lost and lonely world has all the industrial gothic feel of Humanist's debut, the palette has been expanded to absorb more light and shadow, expanding to include the light washes of guitar welded to the rock'n'roll motorik, contrasted with the sweetness and light of the exquisite “by Isobel Campbell.” Love You More,” which takes you back to peak My Bloody Valentine at its brightest and most ethereal. On this second Humanist album, Rob has emerged as a master of such subtle and delicate textures, fine filigrees of guitar lines, treated electronically until you can't be sure if they're guitars or the ethereal flapping of wings.
Humanist's first album was a swirling Niagara of fuzzy melodies and noises, visceral, cinematic, fascinating, a big, triumphant album with vocal contributions from Mark Lanegan, Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode), Mark Gardener (Ride) and Joel Cadbury (UNKLE). ), among others. A dizzying and ambitious album, it was Rob's first solo project after his band Exit Calm broke up, and also the first album that he produced in its entirety. It was both a showcase and a powerhouse, and it looked like Rob could smell victory. But just as his masterpiece was ready to be published, Covid stopped everything in its tracks, a promotional tour was canceled and the world sank into a long limbo…
Not long into lockdown limbo, the untimely death of Rob's key collaborator Mark Lanegan, with whom he shared a deep and continuing musical friendship, was a tragic blow. Rob wrote and produced six songs for Mark on their first collaboration together, the much celebrated album. Gargoyle (2017 Heavenly Records). Mark's next album. someone is calling (Heavenly Records, October 2019) included six more co-writes from Rob. The first tracks they worked on together were included on Humanist's first album.
Painful as they may be, such sojourns in nature can enhance and hone the artistic instinct, and by emerging from the cocoon so painfully outlined in “The Immortal,” Rob has returned to the source and dived deeper into the well. The new album explores and develops themes reflected on their debut (existential questions about life, death, purpose, hope, suffering, redemption), but now with a deeper palette of sounds and emotions, more nuances, a increasing mastery of form, producing a record of emotional subtlety, depth and scope.
Rob's voice, like Madman Butterfly, is found in the increasing abstraction of the second half of the album, with conventional song structures dissolving into tone poems, until they are suspended on a viola note, only to rise once again in vast elegiac expanses evoked by fuzzy, ethereal guitar treatments, Rob's voice singing half-remembered melodies of a dream turning round and round in your mind in an indefinite soulful longing on the final song “The End”, waking from a dream in the one where everything is so significant. and strange, it cannot be translated into the waking world, and collapses upon contact with reality, slipping like sand between your fingers…
“My head is wrapped in clouds of thoughts and imagination.” Rob reflects: “but I'm driven to be as real and authentic as possible musically, trying to move forward and take advantage of everything I have; It was never really a choice, but rather the only thing I felt I could do: swim with the tide, accept your destiny, ride the waves. “I'm a shy person but on stage my guitar takes me to a place of innate confidence, so I guess that's where I feel most comfortable.”
On The Edge Of A Lost And Lonely World Artwork and Tracklist:
1. The Beginning (OMG) with Carl Hancock Rux
2. Happy with Ed Harcourt
3. Too many rivals with Tim Smith
4. The Immortal with Ed Harcourt
5. This holding pattern with James Cox
6. Brother with Dave Gahan
7. Born to Be with Peter Hayes
8. Keep Me Safe with Rachel Fannan
9. The Dark Side of Your Window with James Allan
10. I love you more with Isobel Campbell
11. Lonely Night with Madman Butterfly
12. The presence of Haman and Madman Butterfly
13. The end with Madman Butterfly
Following their recent shows supporting Jane's Addiction in the UK, today Humanist also announced news of an October UK headlining tour; upcoming live information below:
June 25 – Cologne – Carlswerk Victoria (with Jane's Addiction)
June 26 – Paris – Olympia (with Jane's Addiction)
UK tour:
October 8 – Glasgow – Nice N Sleazy
October 9 – Manchester – Institute for the Deaf
October 10 – London – Electrowerk
October 11 – Birmingham – Actress and bishop
October 13 – Sheffield – Sidney and Matilda's Basement
October 14 – Nottingham – Winery
October 15 – Leeds – Headrow House
October 16 – Brighton – Greendoor Store
October 17 – Bristol – Dareshack
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