Harsh Souls

Probably every guitarist that’s ever stood on the side of some striking lead singer harbors some secret desire to do the singing themselves. And some of them finally get the chance. This is not always such a good thing. Take, for example, These Immortal Souls, playing in the wee hours of the morning at Scream on Saturday. The quartet’s leader, Roland S. Howard, once played guitar beside combustive Nick Cave in Australia’s Birthday Party. But on songs like “Blood and Sand,” it wasn’t until Howard stopped his drawling, toneless growling and the band started crashing into another rollicking crescendo that These Immortal Souls came alive. Then the gutter ballads of these thin men (and woman), ornamented by stark keyboard lines and Howard’s slicing, slashing guitar, resembled a harsh twister from the outback.

If the group’s tense, down and dusky sound had the desperation of last-call in a sleazy cabaret, it had a self-effacing sense of humor. After all, how many groups would cover Lee Hazlewood/Nancy Sinatra’s campy myth-pop duet, “Some Velvet Morning?” Unfortunately Howard’s vocals were not up to par with Hazlewood--or Nancy Sinatra for that matter.