Rhode Island indie folk band The Low Anthem’s latest album, The Salt Doll Went to Measure the Depth of the Sea, was a project created by frontman Ben Knox Miller (vocals, guitar) while co-founder and Jeff Prystowsky (drums, bass) was recovering from a concussion following a mid-tour crash that destroyed much of their equipment. The Salt Doll… is a concept album exploring the themes of rebirth, repetition, and water both lyrically and musically. Its inspiration comes from Knox Miller’s reading of “Where The Heart Beats”— Kay Larsen’s biography of John Cage and the Buddhist fable “The Salt Doll” in which a doll tries to know oneself by gradually immersing itself into the sea until it dissolves. Miller re-imagined the story as a song cycle about the doll’s journey to the bottom of the sea, chronicling its encounters and experiences along the way ultimately leading to the doll becoming one with that universe. The Salt Doll… is predominantly an acoustic affair that also incorporates subtle electronic textures with the band’s early folk stylings like 2009’s Oh My God, Charlie Darwin. The hypnotic percussive quality of the album comes from the warped sound of a needle going around the inner loops of a vinyl record. The album’s highlights include: the poetic opening track “Bone of Sailor, Bone of Bird”; the jazz touched folk song “Coral Crescent”; the track inspired by American painter, sculptor and photographer of the same name “Cy Twombly by Campfire”; the delicate folk song “River Brine”; the haunting “Drowsy Dowsing Dolls”; the muted electronica instrumental “Dotwav”; the solemn meditation “Toowee Toowee”; the mystical folk song “Gondwanaland”; and the magically mesmerizing closing track “Final Transmission From The Diving Umbrella.” The Salt Doll Went to Measure the Depth of the Sea is a beautifully immersive and creative album that gets better and better with every listen! – Written by JFelton
SIMILAR | The Cave Singers, Great Lake Swimmers, Hiss Golden Messenger, Phosphorescent