I probably gravitated to Salem 66 because I was into Throwing Muses. Both primarily featured female members, both were from New England, and both favored a resolutely jagged form of American college rock (as this was called way back when). Salem 66 put out a bunch of stuff on Homestead Records, an imprint I followed because, I reasoned, if they put out the New Zealand bands, then the other stuff was working checking out too.
Salem 66 are reportedly working on new material, and now there's a concise compilation of some of their best material. Less comprehensive than Your Soul is Mine, Fork It Over (1987), SALT still stands as a fine crash course into this Boston-area group's best work.
Early single "Across the Sea" is coiled energy. A casual listen to this makes one think of how much inspiration Sleater-Kinney may have taken from this. "Red Barn", from the first Salem 66 EP, is similar to stuff from era peers like Let's Active. It's murky, spindly stuff that sounds nothing like 99% of what one heard on most alternative radio stations back then. "Widow's Walk", from the group's second album, Frequency and Urgency, is a mid-tempo gem, the force here being contained as the emotions in the cut seem to simmer. "Bell Jar", from the band's final album, Down the Primrose Path, is sharply yearning. There's more than a hint of Kim Gordon's Sonic Youth numbers here, and Salem 66 sound like solid competition for those NYC noise-makers.
If I'm being totally honest, SALT is too short to really get the job done at providing an education into the greatness of Salem 66. I mean, the band already had a longer comp in their past, right? That said, I respect the powers that be deeming this band worthy of re-discovery, and if SALT wins over a brand new fan who've never heard of Salem 66 before, that's great.
SALT by Salem 66 is out now via Don Giovanni Records.
[Photo: Bandcamp]