Humanist – Humanist – Album Review
by Killian Laher

Humanist is the musical project of Rob Marshall, who has worked with Mark Lanegan on recent albums.  Here he has teamed up his at times overwhelming soundscapes with Lanegan and numerous other singers, giving the album a similar effect to efforts from Death In Vegas or UNKLE.

The dance-inflected Kingdom and Beast of the Nation provide good backdrops for Lanegan’s growling vocals.  With Lanegan appearing on four songs he casts a grizzly shadow over the album, the most impressive of these is penultimate track Gospel.  This one is stripped back a bit, evocative of his work with the Soulsavers.  Dave Gahan appears on Shock Collar which is probably the poppiest moment here, the track straying into Editors territory at times.

The intensity drops a little on In My Arms Again which features Joel Cadbury from UNKLE, before the guitars and electronic drums crash through a track which echoes 90’s U2.  The Membranes’ John Robb gives an understated performance on the nine-minute English Ghosts, while a rare female voice (Ilse Maria) appears on Truly Too Late.  The album ends with When The Lights Go Out, featuring Mark Gardener of Ride, a very 90’s Britpop sounding track which seems a bit out of place here, almost like a different band.

At 14 tracks, each lasting four minutes plus, there’s a lot to digest here, and at times the music is so dense it can be overwhelming.  The performances and music are without doubt of high quality, though the album lacks any really memorable tracks.

Album trailer: 

Track List –

1. Intro
2. Kingdom
3. Beast of the Nation
4. Lie Down
5. Shock Collar
6. Ring of Truth
7. Skull
8. In My Arms Again
9. English Ghosts
10. Truly Too Late
11. Mortal Eyes
12. Shoot Kill
13. Gospel
14. When The Lights Go Out

Shock Collar: