Sault - What's the story?

wow had no idea this was coming. tomorrow is kind of a huge release day, isn't it?

where are you hearing it??

i'm posting from the future (i'm from australia where it's already friday)

we need more globally-timed releases to take the ozzies down a peg

this is still a really solid album, just doesn't feel like a grand statement where they really stepped up their game like each of last year's were or anything, & it's short at only 8 songs.

i'm posting from the future (i'm from australia where it's already friday)

ah, yes of course. (almost) covid free and early Sault releases - Oztopia!

i guess i can hear it in about 90 minutes. i am big fan of short albums so psyched to get to know it.

"100 days left of nine"

the math checks out!

we need more globally-timed releases to take the ozzies down a peg

Jellia Jamb and H.M. Woggle-Bug have had it too good for too long

Welp I'm not seeing a link to buy on their or any other site, same for streaming.

Screw it, I'll ne here when and if they get here.

You can hear the whole thing right here

https://saultglobal.bandcamp.com/album/nine

And buy it of course.

Just got to the sample on “You from London”. IRL LOL.

Thanks Ned! I checked bandcamp again before my lastest whine, didn't see it---10 songs, not xpost 8.

"my converse look like they've had a hard life"

it's 10 tracks but two are just interludes

Grabbed the free download from sault.global. Listening now while I meet my nightly 1500-word quota. (I'm writing another book.)

i'd be surprised if i'll hear a better bassline this year than the one in "london gangs".

what's the "you from london" sample

I fucking love Sault so much. Almost certainly the best thing about the years 2019/2020/2021 is them doing what they do.

ufo - I meant the ‘you from London????’ bit, initially sampled, but then they labour/ruin the joke by revealing it’s part of something much longer - I think it’s the same woman who did “you know you ain’t”?

ah

i think it might just be kid sister on both of those but i'm far from certain

Really enjoying the strings on "Bitter Streets".

guess there's nowhere online to buy the LP without incurring exorbitant international shipping charges, so this one may be dl only for me

Unless I love it as much as three of their previous four, in which case I'll likely cave

It's a bit less expensive (if you're in the western hemisphere anyway) on Bandcamp than directly on Sault's website--think it was like £12 shipping versus £18 to me in New England...

Thanks! Yeah, Bandcamp is where I was looking. Can't justify spending almost $50 for a single LP right now unless this turns out to be The Greatest Album Ever

Really like the second half of this. Is it Nine or 9 ?
I may be completely crazy but now I'm trying to hear the Cardigans in Bitter Streets, which is lovely btw.

it's NINE

London Gangs is an instant classic. What an opener. What a bassline. Other standouts after my two back to back listens this morning are Fear and the title track, but I don’t think anything that follows London Gangs quite measures up to that track, which is, again, just explosive.

Bitter Streets is beautiful. I hear the Cardigans, too. But I find the lyrics on this one and Alcohol pretty inane, and I’ve never felt that way about Sault’s lyrics before. Little Simz track completely unnecessary and that sample is obnoxious as hell

Overall, though, a good album I’ll probably end up buying in a moment of weakness I may later regret

Just got to the sample on “You from London”. IRL LOL.

Ok maybe it should be obvious, but what's the sample?

As uneven as the rest of their albums. When it's hot ("London Gangs"), it's untouchable.

After one listen last night, yeah, "London Gangs" is fantastic, "Alcohol" is not great, "You From London" is actively annoying, and none of the rest really stuck except for the second interlude monologue.

i just bought the entire discography on cd from bandcamp. haven't listened to the new one yet.

had a dream a few nights back that they covered the family stand's "ghetto heaven" and it was a worldwide smash hit.

this album leans more into just having a bunch of cool sounds they're playing around with rather than having great songs too like the last one

quick listen to this and it did disappoint on first listen, expectations were/are high, retro chemical brothers / big beat vibes from a few productions, agree that the songwriting didn't feel as special as previous work, fully hope this grows on me more

Loving everything on this so far apart from Fear and especially You From London

I'd love to hear them cover Ghetto Heaven

i'm not the exact opposite of the consensus here, but i don't think i'm hearing this as the slight that most of you are. it's much shorter than the last two, sure, but the material is just as strong as anything else they've done. i think in "light's in your hands" and especially "bitter streets" it would rank as maybe the prettiest material they've done. super solid, but what's new.

after just a couple listens to nine, i'd rank their catalogue so far as:

1. rise
2. black is
3. 7
4. nine
5. 5

5. 5

Absolutely nuts.

Their albums are uneven, and this one's no different.

the title track is completely gorgeous

5. 5

Absolutely nuts.

― Heavy Messages (jed_), Sunday, June 27, 2021 3:09 PM

it should also be said that i wouldn't rate any of their albums thus far lower than four stars. consistency is the name of the game.

'Bitter Streets' is really nice too (those strings!)

If we're doing this

1. 7
2. 5
3. Rise
4. Black Is
5. Nine

#4 and #5 could switch as I get to know the new one a little better

7 and 5 get the most plays and are to me the most consistent

If we're doing this

1. 7
2. 5
3. Rise
4. Black Is
5. Nine

I'd probably go the same--though agree, 'Nine' could switch with 'Black Is'. That said, I love them all. I feel like I don't need every record they do to be as great as '7' or '5,' I'm just happy to see where they go, so glad they're going there.

am i the only one who thinks that (rise) is head and shoulders above their other, still very good albums?

I think at the moment mine is

1. 5
2. Rise
3. 7
4. Black Is
5. Nine

I need to give Nine some more time, I don't hate it, but it seems a bit slight compared to the rest.

1. 5
2. 7
3. Rise
4 TIE: Black Is / Nine

5 was my introduction to them and as evidenced in this thread, they blew my mind pretty early. It’s also the most consistently great imho. 7 and Rise continue the streak of what we could call their “celebratory” albums. Black Is has some great moments - including “Wildfires” which might be their best song yet - but I think both that one and NINE have a more politically aggressive, protest atmosphere which I also love but I see myself listening to the “celebratory” side of them more often.

That said I agree with Austin that I wouldn’t rate any album of them lower than 4 stars.

At least that’s how they register to me in intention. But we have no idea what’s the artist intent. We still don’t know what does the S.A.U.L.T. acronym even stands for. Is NINE also an acronym? What’s the meaning behind the numeration in the albums?

moka, i've also wondered quite a bit about that myself. i find it interesting that all of the number albums thus far have been odds* and the others, despite having parenthetical titles, are officially "untitled." does it have something to do with how/where they were recorded maybe? the two untitled albums definitely have a "bigger", more fleshed-out sound (generally speaking) than the number albums. idk. music jams, whatever the case may be, so i'm happy.

*(initially i thought maybe they were going for prime numbers only, but that's obviously not the case now that NINE exists.)

i don't really have an order of favourites but would probably be very similar to ✖✖✖ (Moka).

so far really love 50% of Nine, the other 50% not so much. may change my mind over time.