https://www.instagram.com/p/CQGrz3jngFs/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Sault "Nine", (2021)

Not sure if this is too far, but with OutKast after ATLiens,
I never knew what the sound/direction was gonna be.
Curious to hear what they put together this time.



Forever Living Originals

Little Simz "Grey Area", (2019)
Sault "5", (2019)
Sault "7", (2019)
Sault "Untitled (Rise)", (2020)
Sault "Untitled (Black Is)", (2020)
Cleo Sol "Rose In The Dark", (2020)
Little Simz "Sometimes I Might Be An Introvert" (2021)

so Sault projects are an instant purchase at this point lol

but I need to check the shipping costs before copping. As great as the last two releases have been, paying for British shipping costs is a but much.

The band has gotten a ton of buzz, so I'm assuming a US-based website will sell this release for decent shipping.

At least, one would hope.

The last two being double LP's both hit for $43/$46.
I lucked out on the Cleo Sol LP.
Local guy had a copy and he was selling it for basically what HE paid for it, which was $40.
Everywhere else I've seen it is $65+.

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according to their latest post.
Vinyl and download at sault.global
Looks like it goes on sale June 25th.

and why am I anticipating the cover reveal when *I already know* EXACTLY what it's going to look like??

*sigh*

Related but not SAULT - check out this HARD performance from Simbi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKwfdTj-hic performing Rolling Stone

https://www.sault.global/

..This output is unreal.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

THAT'S the groove I love Sault for.

*on first listen, of course

added a few of those to the cleo playlist

drop the playlist, fam-

.

and key emphasis on the word few, order the LP from the group's bandcamp site instead of the website. For whatever reasons, the shipping costs are cheaper there.

https://saultglobal.bandcamp.com/

I'll be patient and wait for this to get released domestically here in the states. The band has caught the attention of a few US based vinyl stores, so I'm assuming one will get their hands on this.

36 vs 50
saw that last night and cancelled my bandcamp order

Digging the new one so far.

And with this release, I think it's reasonable to sort of think of them as two somewhat distinct sets: 5/7/9; Untitled I & II.

I feel like they both have their own feel and sound... and I think I'm partial to the numbered set even if I can't quite put my finger on why.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

I never thought of Sault's discography in sets like that.
Now I need to go back and re-listen.

right now as I type this.

Rough Trade is selling the LP. 1,000 copies will be availble as per the website.

Here is the pre-order link: https://rghtrd.co/sault9ushp


Good luck to my fellow US folks looking to save on shipping costs.

**edit**

I just checked the link and the vinyl is sold out already. I was able to place my order on my smartphone roughly 5 or so minutes before I posted my response above.

Either 1,000 copies isn't as much as I think it is or this group is blowing up for so many copies to sell out so quickly.

Or perhaps Rough Trade is reserving some stock for in store purchase.

I have to think Mr. Bongo will procure some copies of this since the group is on their radar for sure.

Just pulled the trigger on bandcamp bc every once and a while I'm a sucker for artificial scarcity, lol...

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

I just tried the link out of curiosity to see if the CDs were sold out and the vinyl copies appear to be available again.

I suggest folks that live in the US to order up quickly because I'm sure this will sell out quickly.

and it's putting a smile on my face. after the last two joints, I like the brevity here. I'm in for the wax, whenever it becomes available locally. (taking a gamble that it *will* become avaialable locally, eventually)

I dig the mystery around SAULT, so I'm happy to go purely on what they give us (namely, nothing), and this LP only furthers the weird US?/UK? confusion I have about them.

oh, and the cover's creepy...

I think at a minimum (I say at a minimum because there are probably other musicians) SAULT is:

Cleo Sol (English Neo-Soul singer)
Inflo (English producer/multi-instrumentalist, worked on Little Simz' Grey Area and is probably producing her latest album as well)
Kid Sister (aka Melisa Young, who is American, from Chicago)

New album is great - favorites right now are "Bitter Sweet", "Fear" and "You From London"

>Kid Sister (aka Melisa Young, who is American, from Chicago)

heh, I knew there had to be a Chicago connection *somewhere* with the 'Wild Hundreds' tracks on the first LP.

>New album is great - favorites right now are "Bitter Sweet", "Fear" and "You From London"

those are definite standouts for me, as well. and that nasty bit at the end of Trap Life (ugh!).

was distracting at times.

>was distracting at times.

I think this performance was actually pretty good! she could be on a sketch comedy show or something, heh heh

>I think this performance was actually pretty good! she could
>be on a sketch comedy show or something, heh heh

Stop it

Unfortunately, it'll lose something pretty quick, just like "You Know It Ain't" on the Rise album.

This might be the only real flaw for me with SAULT (and I realize this isn't an issue for others). The instrumentals underneath their spoken bits and interludes are often jamming; the spoken pieces are good on first listen but just don't hold up over time. I'd rather either have the instrumental OR work the spoken material in a way that is more integral to the piece itself.

(This isn't just SAULT for me, it's a lot of acts using found sound/spoken interludes on their records these days... when Meshell did it on Cookie, it felt super fresh. Now it just feels obligatory and I won't shed any tears when it passes as a trend. I've often wondered where this started, beyond coming out of a combo of hip hop skits and sampling, and I frequently reach back to Cookie. It's not that it can't be done well and hold up to repeat listens; Solange's "Seat..." is a good recent example of one that I don't tend to skip anything. But in most cases... I don't know.)

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

>Unfortunately, it'll lose something pretty quick, just like
>"You Know It Ain't" on the Rise album.
>
>This might be the only real flaw for me with SAULT (and I
>realize this isn't an issue for others). The instrumentals
>underneath their spoken bits and interludes are often jamming;
Cookie was 20 years ago, this isn't a trend lol. The Nic music interlude with Vox thing was more oa a Miseducation thing, and this seems what Sault is trying to do more than meshell's Cookie imo. I mean I dont hate it, and even still like You Know It Aint but just like the other spoken words that are more..wait..like Cookie (now I get it, i.e. the Angela Davis voices, property rights speech etc) I guess they are mixing the silly with the edutaining.


>the spoken pieces are good on first listen but just don't hold
>up over time. I'd rather either have the instrumental OR work
>the spoken material in a way that is more integral to the
>piece itself.
>
>(This isn't just SAULT for me, it's a lot of acts using found
>sound/spoken interludes on their records these days... when
>Meshell did it on Cookie, it felt super fresh. Now it just
>feels obligatory and I won't shed any tears when it passes as
>a trend. I've often wondered where this started, beyond coming
>out of a combo of hip hop skits and sampling, and I frequently
>reach back to Cookie. It's not that it can't be done well and
>hold up to repeat listens; Solange's "Seat..." is a good
>recent example of one that I don't tend to skip anything. But
>in most cases... I don't know.)
>
>-thebigfunk
>
>~ i could still snort you under the table ~

>Cookie was 20 years ago, this isn't a trend lol. The Nic music
>interlude with Vox thing was more oa a Miseducation thing, and
>this seems what Sault is trying to do more than meshell's
>Cookie imo. I mean I dont hate it, and even still like You
>Know It Aint but just like the other spoken words that are
>more..wait..like Cookie (now I get it, i.e. the Angela Davis
>voices, property rights speech etc) I guess they are mixing
>the silly with the edutaining.

Yeah, I should have been more clear in a few ways. I'm not saying Cookie started a trend. Rather, there is a clear *current* trend toward incorporating either 1) the type of found sound/soundbites that Meshell used on Cookie, or 2) spoken interludes that the artist has created by talking with others (see Solange's Seat, or more recently Jazmine Sullivan's Heaux Tales, but they're really all over -- Kota's FOTO, I could go on). I just feel like both of these styles are having a moment, admittedly a bit of a prolonged one.

In the case of the former - the more Cookie-style - in my own thinking, I've tried to trace where that came from... and I keep going back to Cookie. I'm 100% positive there are lots of other examples before that but, to my thinking, Meshell's approach was very distinctive and a lot of the current uses of found sound seem similar. But I'm not even trying to say she's an originator, just a prominent early example particularly within the milieu of hip hop/r&b/funk.

But honestly, it's the latter category (spoken interludes) that is more common right now and Sault falls more in that camp. And I'm probably being unfair wrapping up Are You From London/You Know It Ain't in all of this ... because if anything, those fall more into the skit category. The narrated interludes on Nine and some of the material on the Untitled records fall into the second category I describe above...

Regardless, whether we're talking about skits/spoken interludes/found sound collages, these are all categories of material that (to me) pose a particular challenge in standing up to repeat listens, and I've felt it a bit with SAULT. It's a small critique, doesn't detract from the projects overall.



-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

I like it, but I get why others wouldn't.

I feel the way you do about the distorted vocals they periodically drop into B.A.B.E on the 5 LP. I wish they'd left that laid-back groove alone, but hey, it wouldn't be SAULT if they weren't taking these risks. it's like they never want you to get *too* comfortable.

but i felt a way on first listen ha. its obviously a little exaggerated but i know a gang of women that talk like that in la.

i feel like it was meant to relay the initial annoyance of the question, but it turns endearing at the end when shes kinda joneing on him and they are both in on it.

how she said his teeth looked good and goin to see the queen on a horse had me rolling lol.

>but it turns endearing at the end when shes kinda joneing on him and they are both in on it.

interesting — I envisioned her talking to another woman. maybe because Lil' Simz is the main vocalist on the track, but it also just feels like a convo ladies would have amongst themselves. huh.

to those who feel it's only funny the first couple times, I think this section doesn't annoy me or wear out its welcome because it's actually a part of the song, with the music still running in the back. had they made this its own individual track (like on a CD) or removed the music underneath, I'd agree with you. but I'm totally cool with it as it is. in fact, the humor element doesn't really even factor in for me.

it also doesn't hurt that I love that beat (which is one of the most straightforward Hip Hop-like joints in their catalog), so I welcome the excuse to let it ride.

just figured it was a dude cuz im a dude and personalized it.

patriarchy!

nah but i dont think my interpretation is exclusive to sex (conveniently evidenced by my ignorance, there some voicebox shit going too, not really up on simz). but it def makes more sense with that context.

up there for my favorite inflo beat. vibey as shit.

On my second or third listen but am just now zooming in on the title track --- holy smokes that's good.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

...but also contains one of their best songs in "Bitter Streets".
Like, that's a top 10 Sault song.
The rest of the album I'm kinda "eh" on.
Let me echo the sentiment early in the post about the jarring nature of

"You from London?"

Most of Side B I dig, but the first half is...well, it's just OK. And that's OK.
In face they've earned a very exclusive space in my music buying.
Like, anything they put out I'm checking for it immediately.

I'm still excited about the music they produce.
Their 2021 is still promising with the Little Simz album dropping.
I fully expect them to drop another full LP this year.
And I'm REAL hype about another Cleo Sol follow up.

Oh, and I need to go back and re-listen after reading thebigfunk's reply above.
Like I read that I realized, "Have I been doing this wrong the whole time?"
Is 5, 7 and 9 a series? A compilation?

'Trap Life' (the first two minutes) is the only song on the LP that I'm not in love with. everything after that? pssshtt...

which means Nine is consistent with the other two numbered albums because they also have one song each I dislike/skip (5: 'We Are the Sun,' 7: 'Friends'). the only difference here is that it shows up earlier rather than as the penultimate track. ...which I actually prefer, now that I think about it.

I'm trying to avoid direct comparisons and just let things be what they are, but based on my first couple of plays, I like Nine as much or maybe even more than the others.

>they've earned a very exclusive space in my music buying.
>Like, anything they put out I'm checking for it immediately.

I completely agree with this. it's even more impressive that they essentially came out of nowhere to earn that position. I held off on the Untitled albums physically, but for single LPs, I'm looking for the vinyl before I even hear a single note played. and as documented here, their wax ain't cheap, so that's even higher praise.

them and Hiatus Kaiyote I trust completely with my time and money because they earned it. (I haven't listened to Mood Valiant yet in part cuz I'm still digesting Nine)

>And I'm REAL hype about another Cleo Sol follow up.

Is there news on a follow-up or you just speculating? Don't get my feelings up like that, lol... I *just* gave in and dropped 50 for that vinyl after a year of adding to cart and removing, adding to cart and removing... did it while ordering the 9 vinyl.

Her solo is easily among my absolute top albums from the last 5 or 10 years. And although it's not a Sault project per se, it's probably my favorite of the group so far.

>Oh, and I need to go back and re-listen after reading
>thebigfunk's reply above.
>Like I read that I realized, "Have I been doing this wrong the
>whole time?"
>Is 5, 7 and 9 a series? A compilation?

I'm probably reading too much into things but here's my basic outline:

* the main difference between the two sets (if we call them that) is that the two Untitled records are much more obviously thematic, held together by interludes and the topical nature of most of the tracks. That's not surprising as they were presented that way in their drops, too, as sort of a response to the times. 'Nine' challenges that with its London theme and the handful of narrative interludes.

* there's another difference that is a bit harder to pinpoint... but I feel like 5/7/9 play more like groove-oriented mixtapes. They have an almost casual, fucking around in the studio vibe at times that I really really love. A lot of the tunes aren't full songs, almost more like beats extended to give folks room to explore them.

* The Untitled records, on the other hand, seem much more geared toward larger, more ambitious songs. It's not always that they are more structured but they feel like they are aiming toward something more concentrated? This might come in part from the thematic nature of the songs, too.

All of that said, I haven't vetted this at all so I could be completely off base. It's also very subjective in a way I find hard to describe: the numbered records just *feel* different to me.


-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

>Is there news on a follow-up or you just speculating? Don't
>get my feelings up like that, lol...

I've heard NOTHING!
Just speculating based on the crew.


I *just* gave in and
>dropped 50 for that vinyl after a year of adding to cart and
>removing, adding to cart and removing... did it while ordering
>the 9 vinyl.

This was me. Eventually found this guy locally that was selling it at cost and went and copped it.
I've seen it now go for $90+ online.

Felt like this album took a while to get going, a lot of the early tracks sounded like re-treads of songs from the previous albums. Not bad, by any means, it's cool, but their least interesting work to me.

This whole time, I didn’t know what you were referring to. I just so happened to look her profile up on Qobuz, and there was the “Mother” album! I couldn’t find it anywhere else. I was so confused haha… now this makes me wonder if she’s releasing another album after that IG post last week, or if she was referring to “Mother”.


---

https://twitter.com/MeeshUniVerSoul


welp

Says it was released on 6/24.
And when I attempt to buy it on the US store, I get a 404 error.

idk how but I'm... i even posted it on social media and tagged Cleo and Qobuz and no one gave me a "ayo chill before you cause mass panic" message lol
---

https://twitter.com/MeeshUniVerSoul


welp

And you gon hold out on us?

it's now gone from the Qobuz site.

wtf!! i guess i got lucky??!?

i hope y'all get to hear it very soon.
---

https://twitter.com/MeeshUniVerSoul


welp

Damn near everyone in this thread is a supporter who actually buys the music. I've purchased every Sault album on vinyl plus Cleo's expensive ass album, so it's not like I wouldn't do the same with this one

heard it on streaming only

>And you gon hold out on us?
>
>

https://us.napster.com/artist/cleo-sol/album/mother

>https://us.napster.com/artist/cleo-sol/album/mother

>

>

Here's the link to make the pre-order: https://us.mrbongo.com/collections/all/products/nine-vinyl-lp-cd?variant=39373866696774

https://www.instagram.com/p/CREpAJPBjhS/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

That import vinyl price is gonna hurt.

Thanks for the heads up.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

from top to bottom.

It surprised me how much I played "Why Don't You".

got a stupid amount of play. Stuuuupid.

https://cleosol.bandcamp.com/album/mother

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

Must be too early. Nothing is there yet.

I'm assuming midnight in London it'll be available.

Limited to 1200 with clear vinyl.

I just bought 5 and 7, gonna have to catch the Rise albums later on.

Those exclusive LP's will probably be sold out by tonight for sure.

I just pulled out Untitled (Black Is) and the song Hard Life is just so unapologetic-ally dope. the switch at 2:53 is like BLAM!, here comes the dopeness, then it ends and comes back with a chant to take it out. like who thinks to do this THESE days. my guy is just killing it musically right now and if the rumors are true about him working with Adele, she may hit must buy status for the first time




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according to her new vogue interview.

even though the best track on here IMO is My Little Love. bonus: Chris Daddy Dave is all over this album and though he has no production credits the joints he played on has elements of his style from his 3 albums, especially My Little Love



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I kinda scrolled through the 3 tracks Inflo did.
Did you get a "Mother" feeling with them?
That's what I heard.

I'ma cop cause I love supporting the work he's making.
And good lookin' out on the Chris Daddy Dave thing.
Didn't know he was on there.

>I kinda scrolled through the 3 tracks Inflo did.
>Did you get a "Mother" feeling with them?
>That's what I heard.

and the sentiment is the same. Adele is similarly pouring her heart out to her child.

>I'ma cop cause I love supporting the work he's making.
>And good lookin' out on the Chris Daddy Dave thing.
>Didn't know he was on there.

for the record Chris is on: My Little Love, Cry Your Heart Out, Oh My God, Woman Like Me & Love Is A Game


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