Salad - Drink Me

Drink me Het haar voor de ogen, op de hoes. Weer eens verstopt ze zich. Salad wil vooral niet gebruik maken van de bekendheid van zangeres Marijne, tot voor kort één van de populaire gezichten van MTV. Dit groepje wil vooral bewijzen dat het een rockgroep is en niet het vehikel van een VIP. En tot dusver zijn ze daar al behoorlijk in geslaagd: in de Britse pers verzamelden ze voor de reeds uitgebrachte singles al aardig wat superlatieven. Wat natuurlijk alles en net zo goed niets wil zeggen.

Op Drink me laat Salad zich kennen als een groepje dat behoorlijke songs kan schrijven, in de typische Britse independent-stijl, daar naast glamrock-elementen ook Pixies- en Breeders-invloeden in stopt en met Marijne over een zangeres met een eigen, maar niet indrukwekkend stemgeluid beschikt. Helaas zijn de echte uitschieters (zoals het singletje Drink the elixir) op één hand te tellen. Dat maakt deze cd tot een aangename kennismaking, maar niet meer dan dat. (HMP)

Pathetic Music Reviews - Salad - Granite Statue

The latest (not that it's all that new) blood-sucking trend in the music industry seems to be British two-part singles, in which one song is released as a CD-5 (and perhaps vinyl, depending on the record company) with two different sets of B-sides. The goal here is for the obsessive fan to purchase a single song at least three times -- once on the album and on two different singles. Here in the states, the singles seem to go for about ten bucks a pop, making this a moderately expensive endeavour. Naturally, the Pathetic Caverns had to investigate and evaluate this phenomenon on behalf of you, our loyal readership, and we chose, in our significant wisdom, to experiment with slabs of the chimey, guitar-based, female-voxed pop purveyed by Salad and Echobelly. Salad offers a little less bang for the buck than Echobelly, with only two b-sides per single.

The lead track, from the album Drink Me, (not yet available in the states, get with it Island) is a charming little slice of pop. I'm not sure the lyric makes much sense -- something about statues coming when the weather's warm?? -- but I don't care -- Marijne's (no last name) wispy, breathy and growly (by turns) vocals are winning, and songsmith Paul Kennedy's guitar work is very satisfactorily crunchy where it needs to be. It's pretty generic, but nicely done.

Part I offers two additional songs in the same vein, "Rip Goes Love and Lust" and "Roadsex" (hmm, a thematic relationship?); part II is quirkier with a Beatles cover ("It's for You") and a pleasantly cheesy theme song for an imaginary western ("Ici Les Amigos"). I recommend part II over part I. "Granite Statue" was produced by Mark Freegard (with additional production and mix by Lightning Seed Ian Broudie). The rest of it was produced by Graeme Holdaway and the band.

Salad - Singles Bar & Drink Me

It's a mystery to me, why, given the market penetration that Elastica has achieved in the US, everything that Salad has ever done remains available only to folks willing to fork over the dough for imports (not to mention doing the legwork to find them). It's a little hard to imagine people who dig "Connection" and "Car Song" not being into "Diminished Clothes" (from Singles Bar) or "Drink the Elixir." Somehow, though, Island doesn't seem to think this bunch would do well on these shores. Me, I think their slightly-punky, mid-tempoed buzzy pop is consistently delightful.

It's also interestingly democratic - guitarist Pete Kennedy writes the lion's share of the tunes, but singer/keyboardist Marijne van der Vlugt pens a few, as does drummer Rob Wakeman, and some are credited to the band as a whole. The quality remains high regardless of the author, and the lyrics are often delightfully skewed. Singles Bar is a compilation of the band's first three e.p.'s from June '93 to April '94. Drink Me is their first full-length album, and was produced and mixed by Mark Freegard.

Salad - Motorbike to Heaven

The last single before the (still-UK-only) release of Drink Me adds "Diary Hell" and "I am December" to provide elevenish minutes of Salad fun. The title track pairs acoustic verses with a distortion-and-xylophone laden chorus, to build a delicious pop confection which slides by in an eyeblink.

"Diary Hell" is on the whole snarlier, a mid-tempoed rocker with a long blow-out raveout. "December" isn't really one of the band's strongest efforts, but it's pleasant enough. Seems to be some sort of tale of a transgenderal experience, if I'm hearing right.

For those keeping score, the lead track and "December" are (guitarist) Kennedy's composition, and "Diary" is credited to the band as a whole. Production by Mark Freegard and Greame Holdaway.

Salad - Ice Cream (NME)

YES, SALAD. You must remember. Anglo-Dutch indie quartet? Meandered into the Top 20 with their rather flavourless debut album 'Drink Me' two years ago? Singer used to be an MTV presenter? No? Never mind - it's not important. More to the point is whether their second opus will finally deliver on the mouth-watering promise of their name: a luscious spread of lyrical capers, guitar-powered anchovies, sun-dried indie tomatoes and punky mozzarella attitude, all swimming in the rock'n'roll rocket fuel of extra virgin olive oil...? Ho-hum. Prepare to leave the table hungry.

Once again, soggy lettuce, shrivelled cucumber and dried-up beetroot are on the menu. Because although 'Ice Cream' will fill you up, it lacks spice, sauce, or genuine nourishment. And it tastes of, well, nothing much at all. Oh Salad. Honestly, we want to like you. We yearn to applaud your self-imposed distance from orthodox Britpop grammar - if only you didn't seem so woefully adrift in a silty pond of hand-me-down rock styles as a result. We would love to endorse your awkward, cranky, square-peg lyrics - if only they didn't sound so wilfully obscure and fundamentally hollow. We dream of heaping praise on your impressively three-pronged songwriting formation - if only the end result wasn't so much blatantly committee-built personality-free mulch.

The Salad problem in a nutshell: their essential anonymity. Lacking either the natural flair for hummable tunes, the all-encompassing vision or the sheer megalomania of their premier-league pop peers, they inhabit a pleasantly maintained but otherwise unremarkable cul-de-sac off the unfashionable end of Indie High Street. Consequently, 'Ice Cream' is an album of sensibly-attired, grown-up pop which goes to the gym twice a week and can recommend a good baby-sitter. It can be fluttery and wistful as in 'Broken Bird', but not too morbid. It is fetchingly weird at times, as in robo-pop chugger 'Written By A Man', but never at the expense of its generally moderate outlook.

In fairness, singer Marijne has an expressive range, even if she never seems to actually express anything. Large chunks of Debbie Harry are discernible throughout 'Ice Cream'. Recent single 'Cardboy King' hints at the observations of Louise Sleeper. 'Namedrops' is a burly, blues-tinged bit of PJ Harvey-esque yelping. And fairground pop like 'UV' is that swooping between woozy dislocation and theatrical screeching patented by Alisha's Attic. Only not quite so annoying.

So then, Salad: watered down Blondie, inferior PJ Harvey, second division Sleeper - but better than Alisha's Attic. Cause for celebration round Salad Towers, we reckon. Break out the soggy lettuce and diced cucumber - let's party. 5/10 Stephen Dalton