The pairing of Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan for 2006's Ballad of the Broken Seas was indeed an unlikely dalliance: she the delicate waif of Belle & Sebastian fame, he the fearsome firebrand who had growled his way through Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age. But it worked. Stuffed with creepy wayfarers' tales and folk shanties, the album was a critical and commercial success. As well as self-producing, Campbell wrote the bulk of the songs, recording them in her native Glasgow then sending them over to LA for Lanegan to add vocals. Other recording took place back in Glasgow, though this time round Lanegan flew over to join Campbell in the studio, laying down his vocals over an intense week of activity. The bruised fruit of their labour can now be heard on Sunday at Devil Dirt. An album of dust-bitten ballads and troubled wanderings, its even darker than its predecessor. Again, Campbell and Lanegan complement each other beautifully, like silk on cracked leather.