Sault - What's the story?

Album is here - https://soundcloud.com/saultglobal/sets/sault-5

Just from the first track I can detect traces of ESG, The Jellies, The Dixie Cups & Holland–Dozier–Holland era Motown if it had been produced by Norman Whitfield. The production is timeless but state of the art at the same time. Ace songwriting.

My inner cynic reckons with the smart low key underground anti-marketing it is going to end up that Sault are some long time music business insiders, the album will eventually get a full release on say XL with a massive marketing push and it'll end up being thee essential album of 2020. Or not. But whatever, it doesn't detract from it being a great record.

I hate that the vinyl sold out like in a day and I was constantly checking if a release date was published. The whole willful obscurity of the project is frustrating but I guess it’s working. I heard Danger Mouse was involved but that might be fake.

Music wise I posted in the songs of summer 2019 thread that I absolutely love the combination of northern soul vocals + krautrock styled drums.

i think vinyl is still available from here - https://www.sault.global/store/sault-5

It's groovy, but I'm not really hearing the ace songwriting.

i guess it comes down to what kind of song writing you dig?

Xpost: Huh that’s weird last time I checked they were sold out! I guess they restocked, thank you for the heads up, already ordered.

People on discogs were selling them for twice or thrice the price which I thought was ridiculous as a second print was surely around the corner.

I see two sellers still have it for 50 pounds.

Oh I see there’s snippets of a new album called 7 on their instagram account and it also sounds great. Seriously who are behind this project? I can’t find anything on them only name I see attached is Dean Inflo Josiah which is also very obscure on info and... maybe an alias of another artist?

i thought i read somewhere that 00s blog fav kid sister was involved?

There is another name attached too - Cleopatra Nikolic.

She has written for Little Simz.

I'm not on Instagram so didn't know about '7'. Curioser and curioser.

Some of these new tracks sound very “Danger Mouse” I wouldn’t be surprised if he is in fact attached to this one. I see there’s a connection between this “Dean Inflo” mystery man and Danger Mouse on a Michael Kiwanuka album.

I kinda like how this band is a mystery. Really cool album!

This sounds great, thanks for the heads up.
allmusic has the following bio information: "A rhythm-forward heavy rock ensemble formed by members of American power metallers Kamelot and groove metal outfit Arcanium." LOL, that seems highy unlikely

It’s actually true! There’s another band called Sault who play metal. one of them might need to change their name eventually.

Never heard of them before this thread. Listened to a couple tracks so far - I like it but the ESG influence is PROMINENT. Also hearing Tom Tom Club as filtered though, I don’t know, something from the era of late 90s electronica’s-the-next-big-thing.

The song is the second single from Sault, a trio that features London-based musician Dean “Inflo” Josiah Cover (writer of DanDigs.com audio mainstays “Black Man in a White World” by Michael Kiwanuka, “House in LA” by Jungle, “Offence” by Little Simz, and many, many more). It’s released via Forever Living Originals, an independent label that counts Melisa Young among its cohort, better known as Chicago rapper Kid Sister (whose Kanye-featuring “Pro Nails” was a bonafide smash upon its release in 2011, as was the track’s magnificently massive Rusko remix).

https://www.google.com/amp/s/dandigs.com/2019/04/06/diggin-this-sault-dont-waste-my-time-forever-living-originals-dean-inflo-josiah-cover-melisa-young-kid-sister-we-are-the-sun-london-chicago-pro-nails-kanye-dan-digs-jungle-michael-kiwanuka-black-man-i/amp/

Oh nevermind I see you already figured this much out.

I listened to and enjoyed the album but also thought that almost every song seemed geared for placement on a modern Southern Gothic HBO-type show. (N.B.: I am watching Sharp Objects at the moment which may have influenced this conclusion).

new album already?

that should probably be 'new album already!'

7? Have I missed 6?

Haha I half wonder if they're just releasing individual discs from a huge boxset-sized debut album

7 is the one, I think (so far)--5 is pretty great debut for a 'sound' band--foregrounding those influences that seemingly nobody will ever tire of--but some of those songs on 7 really hit me deep in the soul

Both albums are amazingly consistent, hard to really choose one over the other. Huge low-end throughout. I feel wrong saying it, but this is what I wish ESG sounded like.

My copy of the 2nd one should arrive tomorrow. I'm perfectly happy with how ESG sound already and wouldn't change anything about their sound, but if their more recent recordings had sounded more like this I'd probably play them more.

"why, why why" is an earworm and a half even on a first listen.

Damn totally missed the second release!

It's really good too, although I feel ever slightly more favorably toward 5.

They're both pretty fucking amazing. Love the trend of bands popping out 2 albums this year

Really enjoy the slight layer of polish distinguishing the second album from the first. Even more, I enjoy trying to figure out if it’s the songs as a whole or the brilliance of the rhythm section that’s the force of what’s captivating me.

For me it’s the brilliance of the rhythm section. They are amazing. Apparently there’s a tour planned next year so I guess we’ll finally meet the people behind it.

yes, all about the rhythm section for me. is anybody else's copy of the second album warped?

Gradually, I'm growing to feel like this is ace songwriting, both wishing I could articulate why and knowing that I like it because I can't pin it down. It's Sly & Robbie, but it's also Sly and Robbie and Black Uhuru.

The grooves carry them on tracks that are less fleshed out, but there's definitely some standout songwriting too. "Why Why Why Why Why", "Masterpiece", and "Friends" leap to mind as A+ writing.

Yes, the grooves are what drew me in to begin with but the songwriting is what elevates it into something very special. it will be very interesting to see how it works live.

I missed the previous discussion on this but gave it a listen after seeing it listed as Bandcamp’s second best album of the year. Rhythm section really shines.

Jesus Christ these records are so utterly, completely everything I want/need in new music. Even things I love wholeheartedly, it's incredibly rare to hear something where just every decision feels so exactly right.

This has to be related to Little Simz, no?

The only connection I really hear to ESG (whom I adore) is that it's so perfectly minimalist--there's never more than like three or four sound sources. I hear some Library tendencies, some high sophistication a la Adrian Younge/Midnight Hour or Michael Kiwanaku but with so much more restraint. If there's an Afrobeat component it feels more like Lijadu Sisters than Fela... I mean, they definitely get the "who does this call back to" synapses firing, but ultimately I really don't care too much because it's just so perfectly timeless--never retro or overtly futurist, just. . . what it needs to be to do what it's trying to do.

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.

yeah i would not have expected that either

For those who still buy CDs, "AIR," "AIIR," and "Today & Tomorrow" (which are sold out on Sault's Bandcamp) are in stock and each less than $10 from DeepDiscount for some reason:
https://www.deepdiscount.com/search?q=sault&mod=AP

Acts Of Faith out on all the streaming services today

Haven't done a careful A/B but seems to be the same as what they put out for free as a single WAV a while back. But good on them, they've goven away far too much, and they've earned getting paid...

By which I mean via Bandcamp, of course, since streaming services are all organized techbro theft...

https://saultglobal.bandcamp.com/album/acts-of-faith

Oh hey this new album sounds great as usual.

yeah it definitely sounds great but I can't say I remember any of the songs

The last track is good, but, yeah, their penchant for repeating phrases is startin' to annoy me.

Yeah that’s a good point. It’s produced impeccably but it’s not very memorable.

Seems they’re just an evangelical project now. Very boring and disappointing.

Yeah I’ve completely lost interest in Sault after the glut of mediocre releases last year, and now a second (?) religious album. If they ever come back with something that feels like a proper follow-up to their initial run, I’ll check back in. But to me they’ve lost the spark.

sadly feel the same.

look----

cleo is an incredible singer and whoever was writing their lyrics up to and including nine was very on point. the music was so good and inventive on mother that i have a difficult time talking about that album. but i have to think "strong" was their peak. it's over six minutes long and traverses through blissout nusoul, astralplane marching band, and presents a drum circle polyrhythmic utopia the likes of which are highly uncommon on studio records, and even less so on pop records. it's an incredible use of anyone's time and puts to shame their current releases.

seems wrong to say, but they've gotten musically complacent. i still check for them anyway.

It's taken me a while to get around to giving Acts of Faith a real listen. Like many on here, they burned me out with too many mediocre releases, but this one is actually good! A step back in the right direction, more focused and well executed.

Anybody who likes Sault might like the new Vibration Black Finger album Everybody Cryin’ Mercy:

https://vibrationblackfinger.bandcamp.com/album/everybody-cryin-mercy-1

Little Simz suing Inflo for not repaying hundreds of thousands of pounds in loans...

:(

https://www.stereogum.com/2300529/little-simz-sues-her-producer-inflo-over-2-2m-loan/news/

Oof. I guess that explains how they financed that London show in December and why they didn’t do any of the subsequent promised shows

Mostly I'm blown away that there are still album budgets in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Cleo is playing the Hollywood bowl so I know she at least is making huge paychecks for live performances

Oh so it was all a grift

Oof. I guess that explains how they financed that London show in December and why they didn’t do any of the subsequent promised shows.

Looks like it. After a year went by and no promised NY show, I kind of wondered if there was a financial reason.

That London show was insane, easily one of the most impressive things I've attended - lots of high-concept, big-brain stuff, but also plenty of substance. Really sad if this all pans out the way it seems to.

Mostly I'm blown away that there are still album budgets in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Sunday, March 16, 2025 11:32 AM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

my first thought as well

a dozen or so recording sessions would easily eat up like 50 grand of a major artist's recording budget once you include travel, lodging, incidentals etc for everyone involved and that's prob a very conservative estimate once you start reaching the real upper levels of the pop industry. and that's before you get to paying to any of the producers so that you can release the music (and the major ones will often demand money up front just to show up regardless of what comes out of the sessions)

https://www.npr.org/2025/03/26/g-s1-56034/cleo-sol-radio-city-music-hall-concert-review

Cleo Sol had her live US debut with 3 shows at Radio City Music Hall in NYC. She is also doing a show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles

Seem to be releasing a new album song by song to Insta / Twitter?
https://www.instagram.com/saultglobal/
https://x.com/SaultGlobal

Unless I'm mistaken and they've already been released... I'm honestly getting a little confused with their latest material.

yeah this is new material, looking forward to when they release it somewhere it's easier to listen to

10 released today

Although doesn't seem to play for me on Spotify for some reason. Anyone else having the same issues?

https://open.spotify.com/album/6MT7ungOXS7u5TcKQt4fve?si=5VDKxTopR5Wg5qujhuVEhw

Yeah, I don’t see it on Spotify.

"this content is no longer available"

like this band but their mysterioso routine has more than run its course for me. put albums out or dont, but i dont have the energy to keep up with instagram stories with bit.ly links to megaupload folders with unlabeled stems of new material that expire after 666 seconds or whatever, i'm trying to live my life here

New Billboard interview with Little Simz paints an unflattering portrait of Inflo.

wouldn't shock me if Sault wound up being some kind of silicon valley-style money pit tbh

https://saultglobal.bandcamp.com/album/10-2

first track on this is really, really good

phenomenal bass guitar

one of their better albums

Yeah on my first couple of listens this is my favorite of theirs in years

wouldn't shock me if Sault wound up being some kind of silicon valley-style money pit tbh

US$33 for the digital album at bandcamp!

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.