Sault - What's the story?

Listening to it today again while stuck in traffic I think I ended up liking it even better. I don't think there's a single track in here I dislike except the spoken word bits and interludes - but I tend no to rate them when judging an album.

Curiously noone has mentioned 'Trap Life' yet and it might be one of my favorite ones in here, love that groove.

Ranking them I'd probably say:
Trap Life > Bitter Streets > You from London > 9 > London Gangs > Light's in Your Hands > Fear > Alcohol

Wait actually put Bitter Streets

Ranking them I'd probably say:
Trap Life > You from London > 9 > London Gangs > Bitter Streets > Fear > Light's in Your Hands > Alcohol

ugh copied and pasted all wrong there lol... anyway the second ranking is the correct one.

The fact that one could make an absolutely killer "greatest hits" double LP for Sault after only 2.25 years is pretty impressive to me.

That they're consistently the #1 seller on Bandcamp when they drop a new release despite the fsct that they've put the last three albums up to download ob their wevsite for free; that Pitchfork now has to pretend like they've been covering them all along; all based on zero promotion and sparse critical coverage, essentially from pure word-of-mouth, despite virtually no direct social media and despite their participants being nearly anonymous--it's just down to that people really respond to their music.

I've played them for many friends and acquaintances, including a lot of musiicans and producers, and all have become fans and most proselytes themselves.

A pretty remarkable phenomenon. Add in that Inflo has simultaneously produced two Little Simz albums (one of which was my favorite album of its year until I heard Sault's '7'), Cleo Sol, and Michael Kiwanuka--dude has been involved in a huge share of my favorite music these last years.

"You From London" coda is annoying because it feels like a joke that's already well played out and having to sit through it every time I listen to this (otherwise excellent) album is a frustrating prospect

My partner is a sucker for half-time R'n'B swing, so as soon as Alcohol came on she was sold

The fact that one could make an absolutely killer "greatest hits" double LP for Sault after only 2.25 years is pretty impressive to me.

Actually tried to do this in Spotify but realised that despite having listened to all these albums a few times I'm not 100% familiar with which cut is which. It ended up being about 40% cuts from Rise with stand outs from the others. I really need to listen to 5 a bit more.

I think of the "number" albums as being a bit more post-punky, stripped back, "EP-ish", whereas the Untitled ones are more neo-soul and "Albumy"

“alcohol” is pure d’angelo

idk maybe it’s cause im not from london, but i don’t find the spoken stuff on that song to be that tonally different from “you know it ain’t” from rise. it’s less clever and biting, sure

I wonder how much ones favorites depends on what one heard first? '5' and '7' hit me hard in late 2019, and their relative "smallness," the stripped-down qualities people associate with ESG/post-punk, really hit me perfectly (especially coming off my love for Little Simz). But during the next summer, their bigger, more global sound was perfect for that time--I loved hearing them stretch out and prove they could do "wide-screen" as much as intimate. But my heart remains with that "smaller" sound I first fell in love with...

We shuffled the first four albums during hours of rural driving last September, past endless Trump signs and Trump shrines. It got me through, but it's rendered their catalog a big saulty life raft where I adore even the less-stunning bits just as much obvious masterstrokes, and the then-recent Untitled tracks are blended together. It was a bit of a shock to have new tracks this week, given the turmoil they've pulled me through, nearly like skeptically listening to a comeback record after a decade. Time is so fucked up now. After four or five listens I can't tell if this was more of a grower or I just was so fulfilled by this group I needed to make a little space in my brain for more.

xp I feel the same way. I love Rise and Black Is but I prefer the number albums because they're more focused

Only listened to 9 once but I love it

Love this album as much as all the others. I dont think it’s slight at all - more that Cleo Sol’s presence feels a little more limited. She doesn’t seem to really show up until the second half and one of those is the under-baked “Alcohol”. Agree that and “You From London” are the weakest stretch but I still enjoy both songs. Really love the first half, and it finishes strong with 9 and Light.

“Fear” feels almost like a Beak> track.

though I often like this band most when they're repeating a lyric to the point of abstraction and/or inescapable truth.

― swing out sister: live in new donk city (geoffreyess), Monday, June 28, 2021 4:18 PM (three days ago) bookmarkflaglink

Yeah, they have this quality where I can imagine playing a little riff or coming up with a little sing-song hook and dismissing it as nothing, but they will commit to a small idea with confidence and it's great. Maybe it comes off as under-written to some people, but to me it's a great ability to recognize what could actually be a whole song.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jul/03/sault-nine-review-london-99-days-balm-

Some of this new one does indeed sound like portishead/beak> producing... The Go! Team?

^^

that's not a bad description of the first few songs especially

I just realised Sault is an anagram of Tulsa

New CLEO SOL album “mother” dropping tomorrow.

wuuuut

oh baby.

Oh what a nice surprise. I still listen to Rose in the Dark a lot

ya!!!

Oh wow 🙂

I had insomnia and listened to most of Mother at 4am NZ time. It’s more than an hour long, and probably my favourite album from the Sault camp. That title belonged to Rose in the Dark before that. It reminds me a little of a 1990s I Portishead record in places.

still not available in the US even though band camp sent an email saying it was. Looking forward to it, Rose in the Dark is also my favorite Sault-related album.

stunning album

this is a delightful surprise

the outro to "don't let me fall" is so sublime wow

"build me up" is phenomenal

this is probably the very best album from this whole collective yet, really overflowing with generosity

between all the sault albums and little simz and cleo's 2 albums i'm wondering if inflo ever has the time to sleep

the last michael kiwanuka album too

Omg , 23

every sound on this album is so good

Ok I’m excited for this one based on the comments on this thread so far.

Diving in.

OMFG that first song just cured my hangover.

And the second song so far sounds so good too. How is it even possible that they keep making the fucking best music in such a short time span?

Inflo has grown so much as a producer. I’m surprised he’s not being picked by higher profile artists.

this is great. on one listen, i already prefer it to rose in the dark.

semi-related: what's a good jumping in point for kiwanuka's catalogue?

(also sidebar to that: he seems just about due for another record. i expect at least one more major inflo production before the year is out.)

second listen now and when i first read this yesterday i was like BULLSHIT BRO NO WAY to this

this is probably the very best album from this whole collective yet,

― ufo, Thursday, August 19, 2021 7:22 PM

but uhm? like, maybe. and that's a strong maybe.

it reminds me of mama's gun.

this is too much of a single persona to lift me up the way the cast-of-several Sault albums work magic on my psyche, but I'm definately drawn in more than the last Cleo Sol album.

upon finishing second listen:

[FREAKOUT POST PROPER]

i mean, for real: it reminds me of MAMA'S MOTHERFUCKING GUN. and favorably so. this year has been so fucking disappointing. in music, in life, in general. but this, even if my anticipation was high, still would have been top gear. and, yet again, this proves that the ones that really make your world turn are the ones you don't see coming whatsoever.

man. it has been so long since a new release came out that felt like such an instant classic. even the last couple of king krule albums were growers for me, but this just has that feel to it. i'm in no position to make such declarations, as my intake of new music has been at its cynically lowest point ever, but this is my favorite album of the year. easily.

[/FREAKOUT POST PROPER]

like my friend andy would say: hey, yeah, that's pretty good.

Rose in the Dark was my favourite and it still is, so far. This is too long, for a start. I'm still very keen on it.

semi-related: what's a good jumping in point for kiwanuka's catalogue?

the last two are the ones co-produced by inflo and both are great

I should investigate his stuff too, which I probably wrote off as Mercury-prize bland fodder without ever actually listening to it.

Build Me Up is incredible.

Am I the only one who can't square Cleo's solo songs with the fact that she's the lead on most Sault tracks? Cleo solo sounds very little like she does on the Sault records. Maybe she does and I have a blind ear on this.

her voice is typically more obscured in sault - usually processed a little, lower in the mix, and often multi-tracked or with additional backing vocalists

hearing a lot of D'Angelo on this too, just as I did with some Sault tracks, most especially on B.A.B.E. from 5. Not really getting the Mama's Gun ref, tbh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtplyjQ7ytU

Xpost, cheers ufo.

Cleo's clearly a massive stoner though lol.

Just call your next record 420, Cleo.