New Release: Ben Salter’s ‘The Cat’
Ben Salter – The Cat
Available In Store August 5th
Best known as a founding member of numerous well known Australian ensembles including The Gin Club, Giants of Science and The Wilson Pickers, Brisbane-based singer-songwriter Ben Salter has also been a solo performer in his own right for over ten years. He has played throughout Australia and Europe, where his striking vocal range and captivating lyricism have drawn comparisons to Neil Finn, Elliot Smith and Nick Drake.
Whilst many of his solo compositions to date have been gifted to The Gin Club, Salter has also been quietly accruing a collection of songs all of his own, and now, after ten years of empty threats, is finally releasing his debut solo album The Cat.
Staunchly independent, Ben reached out to fans via Indiegogo.com and managed to raise a whopping $7000 in a short amount of time, to help fund the album.
Recorded and produced with Gareth Liddiard (The Drones) and Robert F. Cranny (Sarah Blasko, 78 Saab) at Liddiard’s rural studio in Havilah, Victoria, the album contains the most accomplished songs of Salter’s career. A major departure from his work in all of his other projects, The Cat is a strange beast – a blend of avant-garde pop, folk and rock, at once familiar but also delightfully skewed.
The album features Gin Club alumni Gus Agars and Ola Karlsson on drums and bass respectively, as well as contributions from legendary Melbourne jazz saxophonist Julien Wilson, multi-instrumentalist Peter Novotnik, and Australian rock and roll royalty Joel Silbersher (GOD, Hoss, Dirty Three, Tex Perkins), Tom Lyncolgn (The Nation Blue, Harmony, Lee Memorial) and Stevie Hesketh (Jet, You Am I, The Drones).
The first single from the album, The Coward, was composed over ten years ago. Lyrically it deals with themes that would be familiar to any twenty-something impoverished student – belief, mental health, love and share housing – while musically it draws inspiration from melancholy pop songwriters such as Neil Finn and Elliott Smith. The Coward will be available as a digital download from June 3rd from www.bensalter.com.au.
Salter will be touring nationally with Felix Reibl (The Cat Empire) in August.