Soulsavers – Kubrick – Album Review by Killian Laher

Just a month on from their collaboration with Dave Gahan, Soulsavers return with a ‘solo’ album. An unashamed homage to Stanley Kubrick, the album is 100% instrumental this time, and it’s a really lush, sumptuous collection, almost the aural equivalent of a hug. The soaring strings on tracks like De Large lend themselves to dramatic visuals such as the likes of Frozen Planet etc. At times (Clay, Torrance) it can be a little over the top, calling to mind follies such as Michael Jackson’s Earth Song.

They incorporate deftly picked electric guitars into this orchestral wonderland on Dax, Joker and Mandrake, which blend into the whole rather than dominating. If the intention was to maintain a consistent mood over a relatively short album, then Rich Machin and Ian Glover have succeeded. But there comes a point where the listener might need a bit of variety, some light and shade, and there’s not too much grit peeking through the undoubted beauty on this album.

Tracklist –

1. De Large
2. Clay
3. Torrance
4. Dax
5. Joker
6. Hal
7. Mandrake
8. Ziegler