Sault - What's the story?

If this is Danger Mouse related, it's by far the best thing he's ever been involved with. The restraint would seem uncharacteristic. . .

If you're not hearing this group, you're missing something pretty damned wonderful:

https://saultglobal.bandcamp.com/

^ you piqued my interest with those previous posts, so thanks! 7 is especially good, I quickly decided.

i wish the "dancing in the rover" (?) voice from "up all night" would reappear elsewhere. that little refrain is my favorite part of 5 !

we're all voting for "up all night" as the song to represent sault at the 77 best tracks ILM 2019. i said it first that means you have to do it

Kind of wish "Don't Waste My Time" was nominated, but don't want to further dilute the choices.

i love don’t waste my time! still haven’t heard the new album.

I'll go with that just to get them seen/heard--but I don't think I could pick fewer than 10 favorites across the two albums.

I'm pretty firmly sold on '7' as the better of the two albums, though both are top-5 of the year for me...

7 has grown on me but 5 is thee one i reckon. hard to choose between "don't waste my time" and "up all night".

I need to try 7 again, definitely dismissed it too quickly.

I can't figure getting one and not the other? They're hardly miles apart--tracks could be interchanged freely, other than '7' having a slightly more serious tone overall perhaps?

you're probably right tbh.

okay, there are songs on 5 that it sounds like had existed for many years but which I had only just heard (where has this been all my life?) whereas this one sounds more current and more like a straight RnB record at times (albeit a very good one). I was singing along with Up All Night, Why Why Why... and others after one listen (this is not always a good thing but is in this instance) but I struggle, so far, to have that connection on 7. 5 also sounds like a weird compilation of unheard tracks from various groups whereas 7 sounds like a record by a group (MAYBE) and that is not a negative, it just doesn't seem uncanny in the way 7 does.

I also want to add how much I love Sault as a band/project name.

Definitely voting both albums in the eoy poll and I’ll probably vote for all tracks nominated just to be sure.

I was assuming the “dancing in the rover” was a sample? I have both albums on vinyl and credits on it are practically non-existent. if there’s sampling going on in any of the albums it’s as mysterious as the people involved.

I always sing "Dancing in ye really wap" which is definitely 100% wrong and stupid but I'm also 100% sure it's not "dancing in the rover” either.

always sounds like vulva to me!

Lol, same

will vote 7 (although i prefer 5) if y’all rally behind “up all night”

Team Sault must remain united

xp lol this is what i hear:

dancing, dancing in the rover
racing, racing in the vulva

They're both going on my ballot, but 5 is going higher

https://cdn1-autoexpress-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/ii/w820/s/cdn1.autoexpress.co.uk/sites/autoexpressuk/files/styles/amp_metadata_content_image_min_696px_wide/public/5/55/dsc_1314_0_0_0.jpg

sounding good in the trailer for HBO's new Skate Kitchen spin-off series Betty
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tQu2P5n4Bc

does Pink Sands from Sault 5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ9NM62YodU

sample the choral interlude part of Kat Bush's Hello earth?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S0zNFzK_ns

3:12 onward on the KB track.

oh Kate sampled it herself!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvrBWCtylyI

https://youtu.be/AvrBWCtylyI

It's actually Popol Vuh.

i should have spotted that.

is there any place in the usa to buy these records? the only thing i can find is https://www.vinyl-digital.com/en/Black-Grooves/Sault-7-09544353.html?cur=1&listtype=search&searchparam=Sault
which isn’t very clear whether it’s actually in stock or not.
i bought the digital version on bandcamp cause the lp was so pricey but every time i listen to it, i want the record.

New untitled album coming up. Snippets on their instagram page. Haven’t listened to it yet but it’s presented as a protest album against police brutality and systemic racism.

Only heard Wildfires and it’s so good.

If they created this 18 track album in the past couple of weeks as a protest stemming from the George Floyd case it’s seriously impressive. Again, I’ve only heard one song from it so far but it’s very promising.

by these previews it sounds incredible

https://www.instagram.com/saultglobal/?hl=en

I had a look earlier and pitchfork have never mentioned Sault once.

idk what i was looking at, but this popped up in some "similar releases" on a discogs page and i was surprised at how different it sounded to what i was looking at (it was maybe on a fela or marvin gaye release? i honestly don't remember. i'm not completely sold on everything just yet, but there's definitely a weird and intriguing mishmash of stuff going on. like it's mildly putumayo-ish in spots, but without the sheen, and then the vocals are definitely soul-inspired. and yeah, definitely has a bit of esg vibes in spots. it's hard to place.

i like, not love, what i've heard so far. some of the melodies aren't that unique and the grainy / distorted vocals wear a bit thin after a while, but i'm definitely interested in seeing what happens.

Gilles Peterson played the whole LP on BBC6 today--so brilliant and beautiful. Said it would be out "early next week". Probably streamable in the archive for today...

Incredible album cover (If there's going to be a vinyl). The fact it has no title seems very loaded, profound, even.

this is such great news, I had been getting the feeling that they were due for something new

Xxxpost: wtf it’s true, I hadn’t noticed before that pitchfork hasn’t reviewed or even mentioned them at all.

Michael Kiwanuka has a guest spot on this new one which sort or confirms my suspicion that Danger Mouse is involved or at least acquainted with the people behind the project.

I think it’s Inflo that’s in Sault, who has co-produced (?) the last couple of Kiwanuka records with Dangermouse.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000k1lx

full album starts at 38:20

Sounding so good. I wonder if this will be their breakout album? It's long, around 55 minutes so hope all the tracks make it on to vinyl.

Also, Gilles Peterson repeatedly mentions it being Inflo and Cleo.

This sounds a bit more like a mixtape to me, with less structured songs, flowing into each other. Much more moody, which suits the subject matter, but ends up being less exuberant than the other 2.

I wonder if Peterson went off-piste by repeatedly mentioning who was involved? Or didn't think it through. There's nothing in the social media presence to suggest that they were ready to change tack at this point.

I mean at this point it was pretty much confirmed Inflo and Cleo Sol were involved. There's several articles linked upthread which shared this same info. One article upthread describes them as a trio which includes Kid Sister as well. Inflo plays bass, drums and piano on Cleo Sol's albums so he might as well be behind the whole instrumentation.

They might not confirm it themselves in social media but their affiliation (and Inflo's ownership) of the label Forever Living Originals is a sort of confirmation in itself.

I've had the impression they're not trying to necessary be truly anonymous, but more that they wanted the focus to be on the music than the personalities? But yes, it's hardly difficult to connect the dots at this point...

Hadn’t heard of Cleo Sol prior to the last few posts, listening to her album now and it’s splendid so thanks ilx

They might not confirm it themselves in social media but their affiliation (and Inflo's ownership) of the label Forever Living Originals is a sort of confirmation in itself.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Tuesday, June 16, 2020 1:33 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

the LPs say PRODUCED BY INFLO on the back

It was £7 when I bought it earlier today, would’ve passed on it for £25.

fascinating

they gotta come up with a quick $2 million tbf

Another great album.

Pains me that Inflo is clearly talented as a producer/musician and I appreciate the vision he had for the concerts but I assume he’s not very business-savvy.

It was so easy to see that the insane and ambitious production didn’t make any damn financial sense for one concert of a single artist. It could potentially work if you have idk a liquor brand or idk Red Bull (who love to burn money and I suspect they’re running a money laundering scheme) throwing money your way or doing a small festival like Tyler, The Creator does with Camp Flog Gnaw.

Also the whole anonymous gimmick is probably working against them. Why not just do festivals and normal venues like everybody else. Just have every performer use a cool mask or costumes that covers their face if it’s that important.

i think this is probably their best since rise

The Little Simz money situation seems bad — both for her and Inflo. What's he done with all his Adele cash if he can't even pay back a loan?

oh it's pino palladino on "l.u."

I lot of the pleasure I get from these records, especially the matchstick records, is just how cleanly the rhythm section is recorded. Organic but way upfront. That super-clear peak-analog sound of 1978-1980 before digital compression and gating and reverb comes in. It may well all be recorded digitally but it's not mixed that way.

got a new release notification for this on spotify so clicked to listen and got "no longer available" again. sigh. downloaded to my library and am able to listen now and just... the moment has clearly passed. the production still sounds great but there's nothing memorable about any of this music anymore. maybe it'll get better in time, but the last batch of albums hasn't. it simply sounds competent, but stock issue. it sounds like a super tight band with no vision in serious need of a producer.

also i'm ready to address the elephant in the room: they steal riffs. call it homage or continuing in the legacy of whatever but the fact remains that if marvin gaye could successfully sue over "blurred lines", the sault camp is incredibly brazen. i don't have a problem with sampling or interpolating, but i can't sit back anymore and pretend like they're not referencing very specific songs or grooves. if that's part of the band's schtick, fine. but the music isn't standing on its own at all these days.

that said, it's not BAD or UNPLEASANT music by any means. but barring any shakeups, this album seems like another 'one and done' listen.

Haven't checked in on their last few (?) but this is sounding really good so far, back in Off the Wall mode. I do like the sense of wish fulfillment that you get from these records, that Inflo is getting to make the kind of records that everyone talks about but people just don't often get to make anymore.

I don't really care if they steal licks, it feels like part of the aesthetic a la LCD Soundsystem. But it's true that that move only really works if the songs are strong.

New album Chapter 1 out today.

Clocks in at just over half an hour and seems to continue the religious/faith themes of recent releases on first listen

notably featuring jam & lewis on half the tracks!

Have had one close listen - bitter and paranoid in a way that would be off putting to me if it weren’t so grooving and stunningly crafted. Like Here, My Dear filtered through Portishead