SOT — King Of Saltz (review)

SOT — King Of Saltz album cover Album · 2011 · Jazz Related Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
js
SOT’s “Kind of Saltz” has got to be one of the more creative and technically proficient instrumental rock records to come along in a while. SOT is a relatively new band made up of veteran performers, Skjalg Reithaug on guitar, Anders Hunstad on drums and Lars Andreas Haug on tuba. The tuba may seem like novelty schtick, but it works surprisingly well. The big horn has a strong bass presence and more sustain than a bass guitar giving the band an orchestrated texture. Haug also occasionally adds trombone or trumpet as well. The mixing of electric and acoustic instruments always sounds nice and is especially helpful on music this technical where an all electric sound would make the music too cold. SOT plays a modern style of music where styles and genres fly by as quickly as the musical phrases they present. Some trace this type of ADHD arrangement back to Frank Zappa, but SOT has a more modern edge derived from John Zorn, Mr Bungle, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez as well as countless avant-garde tech-metal bands.

Humor plays a big part in the SOT sound, which is nice considering how technically challenging the music is. Although little on here really sounds like Spike Jones, still sometimes this band invokes the spirit of a metalized version of Spike’s cartoony silliness. Although most of the songs on here feature very intense rapid fire changes of mood, occasionally they change things up and will present short songs that stay in one style. “Bartof” is bizarre country exotica polka with a melody that keeps evolving in a very clever arrangement. “End of Saltz” sounds like a Gil Evans orchestrated psychedelic blues.

If you enjoy this sort of stylistically schizophrenic technical instrumental rock, SOT will not disappoint. They are extremely advanced composers and performers who put a lot of life and humor into an approach to music that can sound cold in the wrong hands.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Love Songs Live Avant-Garde Jazz
JOHN ZORN
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Data Avant-Garde Jazz
MATTHEW SHIPP
Buy this album from MMA partners
Peace Post Bop
SADAO WATANABE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Remy Le Boeuf’s Assembly Of Shadows : Heartland Radio Pop/Art Song/Folk
REMY LE BOEUF
Buy this album from MMA partners
Hummingbird and Four Flowers : Turntable and Harmonium Solo Live Jazz Related Improv/Composition
OTOMO YOSHIHIDE
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

??·??·?·???·?·????
SADAO WATANABE
snobb· 84 minutes ago
"Miles Between" // by Shawn Schlogel & Nancy Erickson Lamont
NANCY ERICKSON LAMONT
js· 16 hours ago
Mature Hybird Talking
FRANK GRATKOWSKI
js· 2 days ago
Perspective (Peace & Love)
ISAIAH COLLIER
js· 2 days ago
T-SQUARE 45th Anniversary Celebration Concert & Tour 2023 @Zepp Nagoya ?CLIMAX?
T-SQUARE
js· 3 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed