Sault.  Man, what the heck?

Sault is some kind of collective from the UK. Currently their BandCamp lists 17 releases since 2019, but I think that maybe some of their earlier releases are no longer listed so there might be more. So: they release a lot of music.

The music is a fusion of soul, funk, r&b, and jazz. It's analog, with amazing basslines, funky drumming, and cool guitar riffs. Over this it seems like a collection of women sing, with occasional male vocals. It seems like there are several female vocalists.

I say "seems" because much of the band is shrouded in mystery. There are no names listed on their records or on BandCamp. Heck, even Wikipedia is only able to come up with a few names. Weird.

But despite the secrecy and the large quantity of music released, I find them to be consistently interesting. They have a simply amazing basswork, and the rhythms are recorded clearly and are always toe tapplingly good. Honestly, if you like this sort of music, track down a Sault release. Any one. There will be something to enjoy there.

On Chapter 1 there are no dull tracks, but there are a few that stand out to me.

Title track Chapter 1 has a nice tapped drum beat, fuzzed out guitars, and a supple bass riff that is just amazing. Organ drones in, a few voices sing, but the song is just a little funky thing floating around that bass riff. Similar songs include Protector with a male voice dueting with the female, and Create Your Prophecy, with strings and an echoing, tremoloed guitar riff. But the bass and drums on these three are just top quality. Amazing rhythm section.

Fulfill Your Spirit stand out to me for a different reason, which is not to say that it has poor rhythms. No, on this one Sault layer in a lot of strings and a high-pitched female voice to give the song a very different vibe.

And album closer Puppet sounds more like an old school dub tune, the drums looped and cut, the bass the strong backbone of the song, and every other sound echoing in and out of focus.

This band continues to impress.