5 Songs I Love w/ Saltend Recovery
- Alice Smith
- 7 hours ago
- 2 min read
Following the release of their latest single 'Christmas Ambulance', Flex caught up with Brighton's alt-indie trio Saltend Recovery to discover what influences their eclectic sound. If you enjoy Saltend Recovery's picks, be sure to check out 'Christmas Ambulance' at the end of the article.
1. Elliott Smith - Independence Day
Elliott’s guitar finger picking is sublime on this track and he was at the peak of his powers here. It sounds like he could be describing his own butterfly-like fleeting existence “everybody knows you only live a day but it’s brilliant anyway”. Couple that with the beautiful tone of a Fender Rhodes piano , a laid back groove and it’s one of the greatest outsider artists just doing his thing. RIP
2. Villagers - Becoming A Jackal
Conor J O’Brien was introduced to me by Jools Holland (on TV not in the flesh unfortunately). The rawness and beauty of this track performed with just an acoustic guitar just floored me. His Mercury nominated debut album from which the title track comes is littered with gorgeous harmonies and the production is wonderfully atmospheric. Once you’ve heard the album version, check out this acoustic version.
3. Crosby, Stills and Nash - Helplessly Hoping.
A masterclass in vocal harmonies. This gave me goosebumps the first few times I heard it and still does if the mood is right.. There is something in the timbre of their voices that just gels in a very pleasing way. Nina’s step dad loved CS&N and they played it at his funeral so it has a special meaning for her and her mum.
4. H Hawkline - Plastic Man
This is a lovely little stomp with a nice mix of synth, sax and quirky lyrics. Sarah’s brother Davey plays drums on this one with Cate Le Bon on synth. We saw Huw and his band play in Brighton and it was a masterclass in the use of dynamics, completely captivating the audience. The album “Milk for Flowers” is a work of art.
5. Dry Cleaning - Scratchcard Lanyard
This is some genius observational poetry colliding with art-rock . It feels like a stream of consciousness that delivers us snippets of Docu-like imagery that feels familiar but strange. Throw in an understated but mesmerising delivery and a slice of music video brilliance and it had to be a pick.
Listen to Saltend Recovery 'Christmas Ambulance'