- Record Label: V2
- Release Date: Mar 7, 2006
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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While "Ballad of the Broken Seas" is a fine set of folk-tinged and blues-rooted art-pop, with ballads of haunted beauty in the mold of Cave and Cohen and some frisky, up-tempo diversions, ethereal Scottish chanteuse Campbell and whiskey-voiced Seattle refugee Lanegan remain disappointingly disconnected from each other. [5 Mar 2006]
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Together, they’re a marriage made in musical haven.
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So while this isn't "The Desert Sessions" - sadly, Isobel Campbell is no Polly Harvey - "Ballad Of The Broken Seas" remains an engaging curio whilst we wait to see what both artists do next.
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Any fears of a dangerous liaison are soon sent packing as opener ‘Deus Ibi Est’ thud-thuds its way to attention.
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FilterThe two come together to create something more than an album of contrasts. [#19, p.95]
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This is proof that Campbell made the right decision in leaving Belle And Sebastian.
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MojoA gentle triumph. [Jan 2006, p.130]
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They have formed the most remarkable of pairings, crafting an album of such beauty that past reference is made redundant.
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New Musical Express (NME)[Has] the unmistakable feel of an instant classic. [28 Jan 2006, p.34]
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'...Broken Seas', though understated and pretty, tingles with furtive sexual chemistry.
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That’s why there’s no cacophony and very little white noise: the finished product is essentially of a common mind.
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UncutRecalls Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra in the way it mingles dark and light, hard and soft, innocence and experience. [Feb 2006, p.80]
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Under The RadarLanegan's smoky voice suits these songs perfectly, and when combined with Campbell's angelic whisper and lush but not overdone orchestration, the result is a sound that is naturally mysterious and utterly affecting. [#12, p.89]
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Ballad of the Broken Seas is mysterious and theatrical and totally cool.
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The music is as fine as the pairing is strange.
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While Campbell's contributions to the album are far from negligible, the thing reeks of Lanegan, aligning itself with the hard-bitten American roots music of his solo albums.
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SpinThe skeletal guitars, stylized strings, and rhythmic clatter are enough of a flashlight under the chin to spook up these campfire tales. [Mar 2006, p.95]
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Ballad of the Broken Seas is a superbly crafted bit of late-night introspection that brings out the best in both Lanegan and Campbell.
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Despite the modern production quality, the overall feel of Ballad Of The Broken Seas is unerringly timeless.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 14 out of 15
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Mixed: 1 out of 15
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Negative: 0 out of 15
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EdwardFDec 20, 2006
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timeAug 10, 2006Very dark and sexy!
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MihalisKMar 13, 2006