Review: The Salt Riot Deliver Impeccable Rock Cuts on ‘Dead Star’
Indie-influenced rock trio The Salt Riot continue to carve their mark in the Seattle music scene with their latest record, Dead Star, released last November.
Dead Star is the real deal. Stuffed with expertly mixed and mastered tunes, Dead Star boasts stylized sound done right – non-intrusive and enhancing of the natural strengths of all three members: vocalist Julia Vidal’s creamy, crooning melodies; Nick LaPointe’s epically laid-back and intricate drumming; and Jack Machin’s popping, attention-demanding bass lines. Each member’s incredible musical skills are highlighted throughout the album in skillfully-designed and placed instrumental features (including violin-playing by frontwoman Vidal).
This album breathes with the ease only a powerhouse three-piece can brag of, each moment crafted from the solid foundation created by this small team of mindful, talented musicians. David Miner at Chartreuse Muffin Studios, who The Salt Riot previously worked with on the Bystander EP in 2013, did a masterful job smoothly blending Vidal’s PJ Harvey-esque vocals with the story told by Machin’s gently coaxing refrains and LaPointe’s journeying drum lines, notably on “Angel” and “Get There.” Two tracks, “Would You Walk” and “Giver,” were recorded and produced in-band by Machin through Mighty Maverick Studios, and mirror Miner’s knowledgeable touch, but with a crunchier, crisper feel that gives Dead Star just a bit of teeth.
Without knowing that The Salt Riot was a three-piece, you would never guess – not with how meaty and fleshed-out Dead Star sounds. Thick, melodic, and with a fierce amount of backbone, this album is for listeners who know well-crafted expertise when they hear it. It has the easy confidence of a job not just well done, but done to damn near perfection. This album gets better each time I listen to it.
(To hear songs from the album, check it out on The Salt Riot’s Reverbnation page, where you can also purchase the album. And of course, don’t forget to like them on Facebook to get news and updates from this quickly-rising trio.)
