Auscultate is the debut album by the Swedish Salt.[1][2] Island Records released the album in the United States in 1996.[3]
| Auscultate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1995 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Label | MVG Island | |||
| Salt chronology | ||||
| ||||
The first single from the album was "Bluster", which was a modern rock radio hit.[4][5] The band supported the album by touring with Local H.[6]
Production edit
Singer Nina Ramsby wrote and sang in English, as she felt it was a more tuneful and more cryptic language.[4] She double tracked her vocals and guitar parts.[7] All of the songs are about personal relationships.[8]
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| The Evening Post | [10] |
| The Guardian | [11] |
| Knoxville News Sentinel | [12] |
| Los Angeles Times | [13] |
| Pitchfork | 8.2/10[14] |
Trouser Press wrote that Ramsby "is a controlled, forceful singer with no perceptible accent, a complicated persona (the sketchy lyrics say a lot) and emotion to burn."[15] Spin thought that, "on 'Bluster', metal riffing pile-drives into flowing-pop choruses, while on 'So', doleful acoustic guitars buffet broken rhythms."[16] The Los Angeles Times deemed the album "jagged, volatile songs with just enough of an arty edge to add intrigue."[13] The Chicago Tribune opined that Salt "cobbles together skewed tunes with prickly, saw-toothed riffs, tuneful pop melodies and agitated power chords."[17]
The Knoxville News Sentinel determined that Salt "embodies the vitriol typical of progressive music's more contentious woman-led bands... But Ramsby, backed by bassist Daniel Ewerman and drummer Jim Tegman, also reveals a subtlety not often heard from the likes of Hole."[12] The Evening Post called the band a "trio of brutal power and uncommon melodic ability," writing: "Driven hard by a muscle-packed rhythm section, the band tempers tough cred with some deft off-centre flourishes, most of them courtesy of Ramsby's slacker-goddess vocals and her gender-bending stiff-arm guitar playing."[10] The Guardian opined that "ringing choruses help a bit—the mantric repetition of 'You punish me as a boy' on 'Honour Me' is a beaut—but there's nothing here to distinguish them from the competition."[11]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Impro" | |
| 2. | "Honour Me" | |
| 3. | "Beauty" | |
| 4. | "God Damn Carneval" | |
| 5. | "Obsession" | |
| 6. | "Bluster" | |
| 7. | "Lids" | |
| 8. | "So" | |
| 9. | "Witty" | |
| 10. | "So I Ached" | |
| 11. | "Flutter" | |
| 12. | "Sense" | |
| 13. | "Undressed" |
References edit
- ^ Hampel, Paul (18 Apr 1996). "Auscultate — Salt". Get Out. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 8.
- ^ Considine, J.D. (29 Feb 1996). "There's nothing sugary abut Swedish Salt". Features. The Baltimore Sun. p. 8.
- ^ Reighley, Kurt B. (Dec 1997). "Stockholm Monsters: The Swedish Pop Explosion". CMJ New Music Monthly. No. 52. p. 20.
- ^ a b "Salt Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ Capozzi, Joe (22 Mar 1996). "Auscultate/Salt". TGIF. The Palm Beach Post. p. 15.
- ^ Niesel, Jeff (February 15, 1996). "Swedish pedigree provides Salt with a deadly weapon". Entertainment. The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. 8.
- ^ Triplett, Gene (Mar 29, 1996). "Auscultate Salt". Weekend. The Daily Oklahoman. p. 4.
- ^ Bambarger, Bradley (Feb 24, 1996). "The modern age". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 8. p. 93.
- ^ "Auscultate". AllMusic.
- ^ a b Chilton, Chris (30 May 1996). "Nordic salt of the earth stuff". Features. The Evening Post. p. 24.
- ^ a b "Music: This week's pop cd releases". The Guardian. 22 Mar 1996. p. T12.
- ^ a b Campbell, Chuck (1 Mar 1996). "Salt's 'Auscultate': Spicy, Sodium Free". Knoxville News Sentinel. p. T10.
- ^ a b Masuo, Sandy (7 Apr 1996). "In Brief". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 67.
- ^ "Salt: Auscultate". January 26, 2001. Archived from the original on 2001-01-26.
- ^ "Salt". Trouser Press. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ Micallef, Ken (May 1996). "Odd Spice". Spin. Vol. 12, no. 2. p. 24.
- ^ Reger, Rick (23 Feb 1996). "Salt". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. T.