Saltillo – Ganglion

From Hive Records I usually expect harsh and complex electronic music. With their side-label Suspicious Records, the musical scope is widened. Saltillo, a new name for me, is mostly the solo project of one Menton J. Matthews III, aclassically trained musician who plays a whole orchestra of instruments by himself and also does the electronic programming. The result is a diverse and rich sounding debut album.

The nice first track ‘A necessary end’ sounds like a melancholic chamber orchestra, which the violin on the cover promised, but with contemporary rhythms added. A song like ‘Giving in’ sounds quite poppy and triphop-like, a melodic song with convincing female vocals. On ‘Remember me?’ the listener is surprised by a warm oriental mood. The uptempo ‘A simple test’ has hectic drum ‘n bass elements combined with a moody piano melody.

This goes to show that ‘Ganglion’ is an eclectic musical adventure. Because of its diversity, not every track appeals to me in the same amount. But the album certainly shows excellent craftmanship and an adventurous state of mind.

artist: Saltillo
label: Suspicious Records
details: cd, 12 tracks, 2006 [SUS002]