Album Review: Humanist – Humanist

Humanist finds former Exit Calm man Rob Marshall crafting a brooding songbook fuelled by echoing post-punk guitars, steely beats and electronic embellishments. Rob’s been a key collaborator on recent Mark Lanegan Band albums, and Mark himself lends his inimitable tones to four of these tunes, making a tidy chunk of the record a worthy companion to his own excellent Somebody’s Knocking from last year.

He’s not the only high-profile guest: When The Lights Go Out is a perfect match for Mark Gardener of shoegaze supremos Ride, while Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan turns Shock Collar into the album’s biggest anthem. There’s plenty of variety too, with delicate ballads, off-kilter rockers and US poet Carl Hancock Rux discussing philosophy.

Lining up alongside similar musical collective projects such as Josh Homme’s Desert Sessions, this enthralling record proves the worth of a questing, collaborative spirit.

Verdict: 3/5