Saltine - Reveal Love

  by John Clarkson

published: 17 / 12 / 2001

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Review

As one half of the Seattle duo 'The Posies', Ken Stringfellow was a member of one of the most popular and talented power pop acts of the nineties. The Posies combined together sixties 'Beatles', 'Byrds' and 'Hollies' harmonies with the seventies new wave pop sensibilities of 'XTC', Elvis Costello and'The Cars', and recorded five albums, 'Failure' (1988), 'Dear 23' (1990), 'Frosting on the Beater' (1993), 'Amazing Disgrace' (1996) and 'Success' (1998), in their eleven year history together. Since Stringfellow and his bandmate in the group, Jonathon Auer, split up amicably two summers ago in 1998, Stringfellow, always a prolific and active figure in rock circles, has maintained a high profile. He has worked and recorded with 'R.E.M.' , appearing on their 'Man in the Moon' and 'The Great Beyond' singles and spent much of the last year touring with them as an additional guitarist. There have been a spate of recordings with the Australian power pop group 'The Orange Humble Band', and he has been involved too in compiling a Posies four CD box which is due for release in the early summer. With all this going on, Stringfellow has also found the time to develop a new project 'Saltine'. Saltine originally began in 1996 as an occasional side group for Stringfellow and also featured The Posies then drummer, Brian Young. When Young left to concentrate on his other group 'The Fountains of Wayne', after the pair had recorded only one song together, 'I Owe You', which appears on an American compilation album 'Happy Meals Volume 2', Stringfellow expanded the group into a regular four piece. With himself on guitar and main vocals, it also features Blake Wescott on second guitar and backing vocals ; John Haslip on bass and Paul Murnaw on drums. 'Reveal Love' is the band's debut single. Limited to 1000 copies and only available on seven inch vinyl, it has been put out in Britain as the first release of new London label 'Popt'. Nearly all Stringfellow's previous songs were written as collaborations with Auel, and 'Reveal Love' is his one of his first outings as a solo songwriter. Keeping the same power and passion as The Posies, it takes off as a natural progression from where that group left off. Lushly and gorgeously textured, its strident, jangling and occasionally sparring guitars combine with sudden, driven accelarated drum rolls and silky vocals from Stringfellow to create a rich wall of sound. The music's upbeat tones contrast neatly with a sweet, but dark lyric about a broken apart love affair . "There is so much pain /Pain behind us/Pain beside us/ and through us" sighs Stringfellow wistfully in the opening stanza and implores "Reveal Love/Never conceal love/I want you still" with what seems to be both genuine hurt and aching desire as his chorus. The second side 'Find Yourself Alone' is equally melodic, its initial popping and slightly echoey guitar break sprawling quickly outwards into another glorious and sumptious and powerful tune. This second song once more works by subtle juxtapositions, with its up-tempo sound again being balanced against another searing, but black vocal in which Stringfellow comes to the bleak conclusion that everyone is essentially on their own. Saltine have a full-length album due out shortly on 'Casa Recordings', which has also released the American edition of 'Reveal Love'. With songs as strong and as powerful as these, the band, and Popt, who have a second release pencilled in with Norwegian act "The Dipsomaniacs' for later this year, have both got off to a very promising start.

Track Listing:-

1 Reveal Love,
2 Find Youself Alone