Salt House
Album: Lay Your Dark Low
Label: Make Believe
Tracks: 10
Website: http://www.salthousemusic.com/

Salt House are one of those Celtic bands that you think 'wow where did these come from and why haven't I heard of them before?' Then you realise that you have, only not in this configuration. A quick check of the personnel, Siobhan Miller, Ewan MacPherson, Lauren MacColl and Euan Burton, shows that this is a band that has quite a pedigree.

"Lay Your Dark Low" may technically be a debut album, but it does come with a good number of years of recording experience. In many respects you very rapidly come to the conclusion that you hope this doesn't turn out to be the only album this particular collective ends up being put together, whilst acknowledging that it remains a possibility.

Both the vocal and instrumentation on "Lay Your Dark Low" is of an exceptional quality, but as well as being a stunning technical performance, also has plenty of life and vitality coursing through it. You get a great sense of pride coming across to, not just in the execution, but also of the history that brought a number of the songs into life.

There is a good mix of the political and emotional across the ten tracks that make up the album. Similarly there is also a good selection of the familiar, "Katy Cruel" with other lesser known, often more contemporary material.

One of the things I really like about Salt House is their lightness of touch, jaunty probably isn't quite the right word, but there is a pace almost texture that means "Lay Your Dark Low" isn't the melancholic journey that the title might imply. Sure there is plenty that draws influence from the darker side of life, it's more that Salt House choose not to wallow in the pity, taking a more stoic feel to the sound.

The album ends with an epic eight minute finale, "She Walks In Beauty" a song which leaves absolutely no doubt as to the quality of performers that make up, "Salt House" even if there was still any lingering in the darker reaches of your soul. Definitely an album with lots of rich images be they vocal or instrument lead. Hopefully this is an album that I the first of many, but if not, it's one that burns bright enough to be noticed in its own right.

Neil King