Guys, I got the wonderful opportunity to listen and love a band whose music has a far-reaching arm. These guys are the “all we need is love” band of our generation and they are not afraid to push the envelope while keeping the peace.
Their name is Salt Valley, an Indie Alternative band out of Salt Lake City, Utah and the key players have that GQ look paired with that boy around the way flair that us girls just LOVE – the members are (from left to right):
- Gabriel Gledhill on bass guitar and backup vocals
- Matt Hales on drums and backing vocals
- Front-man / acoustic guitarist Oliver Kersey
- Lead guitarist and backup vocalist Jed Bradshaw
Choosing to go under the genre of Alternative allows for the band to smoothly fall into the category that best suits the track written at that exact time of creation and uncages their creative processes, so they can produce music that truly comes from an experience or a thought rather than a reaction or trend.
In keeping with this FREE reign of genre, they are also better amped to reach audiences of any creed, social standing, or identity, thus helping society to see the most important facets of life: family, peace, knowledge, and recognition of self.
The fellas proud themselves in being family-friendly and truly feel that music is the universal language that can speak to every heart, so they seriously produce tracks that interpret those values and takes each fan along for the ride on their journey of the human experience.
This review will showcase that musical calling card of Salt Valley by introducing you to their 2017 productions – an EP entitled “Roots” along with two singles “In Time” and “Stars.”
We start with the four track EP “Roots.”
It is skillful that the band chose to open the EP with a mainstream-ready track that introduces itself as a Folk song but quickly gains momentum and goes into a nice Soft Rock cut. “Tongue in Cheek” is such an excellent, matter of fact song that is heighted by the fluttering way Oliver Kersey rolls his lyrics in the verses. In addition, Kersey adds anticipation with his vocal range falling right in a median of second tenor and a soft baritone on this track, like Adam Levine’s vocal approach. And once again, Jed Bradshaw, Gabriel Gledhill, and Matt Hales do not disappoint as their backing harmonies are on point and adds a great soft, off-the-cuff, approach to the overall emotional feel of the track. This track expresses the way things are in life – we rise, we fall, we break up to make up, and then we often do it again and it is not that bad or have to be so serious; it’s the experiences, the take-aways, that is serious, not the cause. The lyrics read “I’m moving / life isn't all about what you say / we rise and we fall through our choices / Oh you can hurt me or hate me or love me, no matter what I do / you’re bargaining, gambling, waging a life, help don't come when it's through - so be ready / I'm a take you by the hand, and show you what I consider true / Tongue in cheek let me be, the other soul free.” And one cannot overlook that rumbling bass drum and distorted guitar that pleasantly lay into the cut!
If you are looking for that hill-top wedding song, look no further as “Amelie,” the second track on “Roots,” is that song. This mild tempo easy listening track contains a cello, bongo, and a bass drum that just makes the heartbeat of the song so pulsating. Moreover, persistence in looking for that special someone is recognizable in this song by its heartfelt lyrics “He pictured her smiling there’s something unseen, between them an early school term / with half a chance in asking her, feeling this way, he’ll stand alongside her one day.” I furthermore enjoyed the unsophisticated acoustic guitar, violins, and the numerical alliteration of this song. In addition, Salt Valley’s vocal harmonies on this track are so perfectly blended that it plays almost like additional instruments – the guy’s ebbed and flowed through the melodies so effortlessly that their harmonies were tightly wound. This is a mental picture song that musically draws that portrait of love and the depths of that love – through the struggles, successes, and transitions of life.
And if you love Coldplay, then you will dig “Different than You.” Like Coldplay’s method of writing, the third track on “Roots” points to the social biases seen today – how one may be defined as “different” due to their traits be it physical, sexual, or emotional, but all in all, are they different than you? Salt Valley answers that question with the lyrics “I was told that it’s better, stand up in a storm - then I’ll rediscover my fire, raging on a thorn, they say war – say I’m thinking on a word, to bring down those biases happening here / their heart it swayed from inhumane can’t gather pain or fight to gain leeway / what makes me so different than you.” The overlapping guitars softly play alongside crisp percussions and a vocally airy chorus effect that settles in the background and it just makes for a cool track. The overall tempo of the lead vocals as well as the music keep a kind of steady pace with limited interruptions which is calming and casual like the hands on a clock. “Different than You” is a wonderful reflective piece of music that makes you see the similarities in what you may have considered different once before.
The EP closes with the title track “Roots” which easily is the grooviest cut of the collection. Teasing with a bit of Soul wrapped into Pop, “Roots” cleverly illustrate that change is good, but only if it is not forced and if it does not alter the true YOU – the person who grew from the roots of your heritage and has now become your core individual. Kersey sings “let’s say you took on all the world, with your background at the forefront of your mind / these, times are tough but you’ve been spending fine / you’ve gotta walk with them don’t you know, to show her what you’re made of oh, oh darling you’ve got roots / oh you’ve got roots.” A swaggering guitar laced with traditional handclaps and tambourine just makes this track a listening favorite and puts you in that eclectic frame of mind. Not to mention, the song’s vocal arrangement lets the bass vocalist’s melody stay afloat within the overall music tapestry versus being washed by too many effects as is the case usually in songs within the genre of Soul in mainstream. In addition, the way that Kersey stays ahead of the chorus helps this track to be edgy and infectious. This track took me back to my roots. Love it!
This brings us to the two singles “In Time” and “Stars:
“In Time” shares the positive and timeless message of positivity and how all good things find their way to you in time. It’s a practical, not generic, track and it stays with you. The double vocal track in the hook is appealing. Equally enjoyable is the video that accompanies the track - a journey in music with the guys embarking on this travel and ending up on the stage - that too, happened all in time. In addition, the guitar interlude and the resonating guitar effects at the two-minute 46 second mark – it’s quite dry during this line of the track which adds a fantastic effect and texture. Then the percussions, guitars, and lead creep back in at the 3-minute mark adding texture and musically illustrating how time affects life – steady yet progressive. Then the additional instrumentation subtly returns and that rolling steady flow of the total melody adds an additional stint effect to the track. And as the track slowly fades, the lyrics “You'll make it in time… in time, in time” reverberate to its conclusion.
And I would say that “Stars” is the arena track of the entire repertoire. The track opens with a catchy monotoned vocal effect and wastes no time in getting right to the meat of the track. Then, a solar synthesizer supports that intro and lays the basic cosmic foundation of this driven, radio-ready, track. The tip-toeing keys and Oliver Kersey singing in a lower register set the stage for the overall tone of the piece to soar straight to the top. A very optimistic track, lyrically it is defining how hope is never too far off – the hook sings “We live like stars but when life gets hard start over.” The hook is encased in an unusual, yet euphoric, electronic synth. With stadium rousing choruses and icy pulsating piano keys, this Pop driven track is spinning into a hit automatically.
When I was asked to listen to the music of Salt Valley, the first thing that caught my attention, before the music, was the name. With my sister Tonya being a Geographer, I initially thought of the Salt Valley in southeast Ladakh, India. But nah! That wasn’t it.
Then, I thought, “okay, I get it – these guys are from Salt Lake City Utah, thus the name.” But being me, I had to delve deeper.
So I listened and lived with their music – the lyrics, the instruments, the highs/lows of their separate vocal timbre, the adlibs, the background vocals laid by the guys, and the story behind the songs and I thought of the phrase “the salt of the earth” – a phrase originally from the Bible at Matthew 5:13 where it reads “You are the salt of the earth” (New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures). And I began to connect some dots.
And no, I am not going to be preachy, but as Salt Valley’s track “Roots” references, it is best to respect the root of anything, right? Even a phrase. Needless to say, that the Bible is the biggest selling book of all time according to the Guinness Book of World Records, so today the Bible is still practical so why not use it as a reference?
But I digress.
My interpretation of the band’s name?
In saying the above, I saw how MUSIC is the salt of the earth, so the band’s name justly fits their vision as entertainers – one of universal oneness – us as a whole within society not a part of the whole. It’s that compassion, consistency, and morality that just rings through their music.
The “salt” of their music is so inviting and so tasty that it really hangs on to your inner core and satisfies many feelings that you may encounter on the daily – like doubts of your identity, fears, loves, etc. And music as a catharsis does inspire, change, and even aid the listener on their journey of life, or their “valley” to use a better word.
So, Salt Valley is a great name!
Moreover, I’d say that Salt Valley is a great Indie mix of Pet Shop Boys meets Maroon 5 blended with Cold Play. And their music is so radio-friendly and in the now.
Separately, the guys are skilled musicians featuring many forms of strings, percussions, and keys playing in different styles and using different techniques that mutually complement the overall melody and premise of each track.
Salt Valley is just one of those bands that you immediately feel as if you are one of the family – they are so warm, appealing, and just down right dope. Their messages through their music and the “out of the box” way they illustrate that message is a wonderful tool in broadening even those with the tightest of minds.
I welcome you to explore their music and see for yourself just what I mean.
“We Are Salt Valley” they say and I agree; they are the spice to our musical palates. Trust me when I say that there is a song for any, and every, one in their growing repertoire. Check it out!