09/12/08
Text: Nik Mercer
If you're looking for a bit of a downer on this fine Friday morning, we recommend you turn you eyes and ears to SALEM, Michigan's hot new, incredibly eerie, somewhat creepy, and bizarrely appealing musical outfit.
The guy/girl outfit is simply dripping with emotion, and while that can be dense and laborious to get through, we assure you, SALEM ain't all Gothic fluff with strong electronic undertones.
The band's released its debut EP, Yes, I Smoke Crack, on Acephale Records, a label whose blip on your radar will only become bigger int he coming months. Merok Records will also be putting out an EP in October—clearly, these two are on a rise.
"Dirt" is a pretty intense instrumental track filled with warble-y electronic glitches, dense synth melodies, and robotic beats that somehow conveys a great deal of organic, natural beauty; "Mine Mine," a more subdued cut with vocals is just as heart-wrenching as "Dirt," but with a sluggishness to it that is almost unbearable. Through the haze of depression that eclipses these songs is a hooky, appealing core that is hard to finger, but priceless. Check out the video for "Dirt" to get the full ambiance of the band. Download the Yes, I Smoke Crack tracks below or stream them in the media player to the right.
