Collaboration with Josh Haden: Tough Guys Don't Dance (2000-2005)
After a series of successful EP releases in 2000–2002, in 2003 they recorded their first studio album Tough Guys Don't Dance. The vocalist and co-author of three of the nine songs was Josh Haden - bassist and vocalist for Spain. The release was not successful either commercially or critically. After the release of the EP "Closer" in 2004, the musicians were engaged in mixing tracks for other artists.
Collaboration with Mark Lanegan: It's Not How Far You Fall, It's the Way You Land and Broken (2006-2009)
See also: It's Not How Far You Fall, It's the Way You Land and Broken (Soulsavers album)
In 2006, collaboration begins with American singer, musician and songwriter - Mark Lanegan. On It's Not How Far You Fall, It's the Way You Land album, his vocals are featured in eight of the eleven songs, and he is also featured as co-author of five songs. In addition, the album has a remake of Lanegan's song "Kingdoms of Rain", originally released on his 1994 album, Whiskey for the Holy Ghost. Soulsavers recorded an album in England and Lanegan completed his vocals in Los Angeles.
On the next Broken album, released in 2009, Lanegan's vocals are featured in nine out of thirteen songs, and he co-authored eight songs. Broken, was released on 17 August 2009. Other prominent musicians such as Mike Patton (of Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Tomahawk and other projects), Jason Pierce (of Spiritualized and Spacemen 3), Richard Hawley, and Gibby Haynes (of Butthole Surfers) also feature on the album. The non-album single "Sunrise," a song written by Lanegan and sung by Will Oldham, preceded the album release on 3 August 2009. The B-side is a cover of Palace Brothers' "You Will Miss Me When I Burn," a song written by Oldham and sung by Lanegan, that is also featured on the Broken album.
The pair have also worked as film score composers, such as on BattleGround: 21 Days on the Empire's Edge produced by the Guerrilla News Network.
Their song "Revival" was featured on the 22 November 2007 episode of Grey's Anatomy, titled "Crash into Me" part 1. The song was also featured on 10 December episode of Friday Night Lights, titled "Giving Tree". It is also featured in the snowboarding movie That's It, That's All. Revival also featured in the trailer of the 2011 film Machine Gun Preacher. "Kingdoms of Rain" featured in the Lie to Me episode "Truth or Consequences," which aired on 5 October 2009. They supported Depeche Mode during the European leg of their Tour of the Universe in late 2009.
Collaboration with Dave Gahan: The Light the Dead See, Angels & Ghosts and Imposter (2010-present)
In October to December 2009, Soulsavers supported Depeche Mode during a tour in support of their album Sounds of the Universe. The idea of collaboration between band members and Depeche Mode vocalist Dave Gahan was embodied in the 2012 album The Light the Dead See, consisting of ten songs and two instrumental tracks. Dave wrote lyrics to all the songs on the album and performed lead vocals for them.
In May 2013 Soulsavers started to work on material for their up-and-coming fifth studio album in collaboration with Dave Gahan. The album was released in October 2015 under the name Angels & Ghosts and in its support two singles were released - "All this and nothing" and "Shine". In addition, a mini-tour was organized in support of the new album (for the first time with Gahan), in which songs from the current album, The Light the Dead See were performed as well as some Depeche Mode's and the vocalist's solo songs in encore.
Shortly after a series of concerts in support of the album Angels & Ghosts, the Machin and Glover had released the album Kubrick consisting of completely instrumental eight tracks (for the first time in the project's history). After that the collective suspended its activities.
On 12 November 2021, Soulsavers released new album, Imposter.
Unbalanced Pieces
Soulsavers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And copper moon, one day I'll tell you
The threats are veiled, snowblind at first
Unfurl the sails
For heavens blue or dark uncertain waters
Gone, now carry on
Through violent seasons
In vain, absent chain
The twilight's bleeding
And the playing board has two unbalanced pieces
No word is said, castle grey
And sunday soon, one day I'll kill you
The raining sheets batter the ground
Unroll the streets
And walk along on high uncertain wires
Gone, now carry on
Through seasick seasons
I'm crawling mother, mother, mother
In vain, absent frame
The twilight's kneeling
And the chessboard still has two unbalanced pieces
Gone, now carry on
Through violent seasons
I call you mother, mother, mother
In vain, absent chain
The twilight's bleeding
And the playing board has two unbalanced pieces
Now carry on
Through seasick seasons
I'm crawling mother, mother, mother
In vain, absent frame
The twilight's kneeling
And the chessboard still has two unbalanced pieces
The lyrics of Soulsavers' song "Unbalanced Pieces" create a sense of foreboding and despair, drawing on imagery of a bleak and uncertain landscape. The opening lines describe a sky that is red and clouds that are grey, creating an atmosphere of danger and instability. The reference to a copper moon adds to the sense of strangeness and dislocation. The lyrics are full of contradictions and contrasts, with threats that are veiled and waters that are uncertain.
The repeated references to "mother" suggest a sense of yearning or longing for comfort and reassurance, but this is undercut by the phrase "in vain", which emphasizes the absence or impossibility of such comfort. The use of violent seasons and seasick seasons reinforces the sense of instability and danger, with the added implication that these are cycles or patterns that will repeat endlessly.
Line by Line Meaning
The sky is red, clouds are grey
The sky is painted in red, while the clouds are dull grey
And copper moon, one day I'll tell you
I shall tell you about the copper moon someday
The threats are veiled, snowblind at first
The dangers seem hidden, but become more and more evident over time
Unfurl the sails
Spread out the sails of your ship
For heavens blue or dark uncertain waters
Prepare to face any situation, whether it be sunny and clear skies, or dark and unpredictable seas
Gone, now carry on
What is already lost is gone, and now you must keep moving forward
Through violent seasons
Amidst tumultuous and unpredictable times
I call you mother, mother, mother
I cry out to you, mother, hoping for comfort or aid
In vain, absent chain
Without success, the missing chain that could have secured us together
The twilight's bleeding
The setting sun illuminates the sky in a violent display of blood-red colors
And the playing board has two unbalanced pieces
The pieces of the game are uneven, and so is the game likely to be unfair or challenging
No word is said, castle grey
No conversation is exchanged, the castle stands silent and grey
And sunday soon, one day I'll kill you
On a future day not too far away, I'll end your life
The raining sheets batter the ground
Sheets of rain fall in a downpour, striking the ground with force
Unroll the streets
Open up the roads or pathways ahead of us
And walk along on high uncertain wires
Move forward in life, even if the path ahead is wobbly or unstable
And the chessboard still has two unbalanced pieces
The game of life is still unfair or unbalanced, even at this point in time
Contributed by Riley O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@tapiochatorazawa3027
"Unbalanced Pieces"
The sky is red, clouds are grey and copper moon
One day I'll tell you
The threats are veiled, snowblind at first
Unfurl the sails
For heavens blue or dark uncertain waters
Gone, now carry on
Through violent seasons
I call you mother, mother, mother, in vain
Absent chain
The twilight's bleeding
And the playing board has two unbalanced pieces
No word is said,
Castle grey and sunday soon
One day I'll kill you.
The raining sheets batter the ground
Unroll the streets
And walk along on high uncertain wires
Gone, now carry on
Through seasick seasons
I'm crawling mother, mother, mother, in vain
Absent frame
The twilight's kneeling
And the chessboard still has two unbalanced pieces
Gone, now carry on
Through violent seasons
I call you mother, mother, mother, in vain
Absent chain
The twilight's bleeding
And the playing board has two unbalanced pieces
Now carry on
Through seasick seasons
I'm crawling mother, mother, mother, in vain
Absent frame
The twilight's kneeling
And the chessboard still has two unbalanced pieces
@seidou11
"Unbalanced Pieces"
The sky is red, clouds are grey and copper moon
One day I'll tell you
The threats are veiled, snowblind at first
Unfurl the sails
For heavens blue or dark uncertain waters
Gone, now carry on
Through violent seasons
I call you mother, mother, mother, in vain
Absent chain
The twilight's bleeding
And the playing board has two unbalanced pieces
No word is said,
Castle grey and sunday soon
One day I'll kill you.
The raining sheets batter the ground
Unroll the streets
And walk along on high uncertain wires
Gone, now carry on
Through seasick seasons
I'm crawling mother, mother, mother, in vain
Absent frame
The twilight's kneeling
And the chessboard still has two unbalanced pieces
Gone, now carry on
Through violent seasons
I call you mother, mother, mother, in vain
Absent chain
The twilight's bleeding
And the playing board has two unbalanced pieces
Now carry on
Through seasick seasons
I'm crawling mother, mother, mother, in vain
Absent frame
The twilight's kneeling
And the chessboard still has two unbalanced pieces
@CORZMUNKY
How did this song get created in 2009 and somehow fly under my radar this whole time!?! Literally two of my all time favourite vocalists together!
@SinName158
feel the same but 1 year later 🤧
@Probablyacowtbh
Beautiful, no?
@tapiochatorazawa3027
"Unbalanced Pieces"
The sky is red, clouds are grey and copper moon
One day I'll tell you
The threats are veiled, snowblind at first
Unfurl the sails
For heavens blue or dark uncertain waters
Gone, now carry on
Through violent seasons
I call you mother, mother, mother, in vain
Absent chain
The twilight's bleeding
And the playing board has two unbalanced pieces
No word is said,
Castle grey and sunday soon
One day I'll kill you.
The raining sheets batter the ground
Unroll the streets
And walk along on high uncertain wires
Gone, now carry on
Through seasick seasons
I'm crawling mother, mother, mother, in vain
Absent frame
The twilight's kneeling
And the chessboard still has two unbalanced pieces
Gone, now carry on
Through violent seasons
I call you mother, mother, mother, in vain
Absent chain
The twilight's bleeding
And the playing board has two unbalanced pieces
Now carry on
Through seasick seasons
I'm crawling mother, mother, mother, in vain
Absent frame
The twilight's kneeling
And the chessboard still has two unbalanced pieces
@Milqrat
Aš
@volaris123d
best vocalists ever in one song! too powerfull
@kflossie
He sings like some broken and desolate angel cast down from heaven And has found solace in a dive bar
@micmac09
In my end of summer's playlist. A great album.
@WadimSivayev
до чего же хорошо
@jimmystankovic3474
Traversing the Zone with this track playing in Anomaly is something else.