The Salteens
Let Go of Your Bad Days
No Records
The Salteens are kind of like Justin Timberlake. No, The Salteens don’t rip off Michael Jackson and they don’t play funky pop/dance music, but they do cause a feeling of guilt in the heart of the keen listener. Let Go of Your Bad Days is an entire album of shamelessly delivered indie pop, that’s so sticky and sweet you’ll need a handful of wet-naps to get yourself clean after this one. My point is this: I know Justin Timberlake and The Salteens are cheesy, but I just can’t help but to listen to their music with a smile on my face; lightning, I’m waiting for you to strike me down, at any time.
I guess I would compare The Salteens’ music to their country-mates Sloan (these guys are Canadian, for the slow on the up-take). It’s poppy, mildly rockin and very catchy muisc. Just about every song on this album begs to be sung along with, making this especially good for long car trips. It’s strange, though, because behind the simple pop that this band spews forth there’s much more going on. Occasionally, there are cool, subtle time changes, unique guitar noises and harmonization between voices and instruments that is utterly fantastic (the vocals on the album are split between a guy who sounds like Ben Folds, and a girl who has a typical indie-girl voice).
This record makes me want to see what these guys can do in the future. The Cardigans were poppy cheeseballs when First Band on the Moon came out, but they shocked everyone with the spectacular and dark Gran Turismo. Can The Salteens do something more ambitious in the future? I’d like to see it happen. Let Go of Your Bad Days is a nice album, but it is, essentially, very forgettable.
The Salteens: http://www.salteens.com/
