Soulsavers: It's Not How Far You Fall, It's The Way You Land

In the early '00s, Rich Machin and Ian Glover (the UK production team known as Soulsavers) released their debut, Tough Guys Don't Dance. They then spent the next five years remixing songs for such Union Jack soft-rockers as Starsailor and Doves. Apparently, such collaborations stuck with them, as the stunning follow-up It's Not How Far You Fall, It's The Way You Land sounds more like the work of a slow-moving rock band than the moody electronica they honed early in their career. Throughout, the duo borrows heavily from the teary-eyed soul of Spiritualized and the gothic balladry of Sparklehorse, resulting in a few moments that require undivided attention. Yet with the aid of vocalists like Mark Lanegan (who applies his two-packs-a-day baritone to five tracks here), The Way You Land forms a bewitching late-night companion piece that rewards any patience it may require.