I'm Still In The Night EP

Whenever someone reviews a Salem record, one of the first words they use is 'controversial', or something which means essentially the same thing. I've never understood this myself; Salem are one of the most private and, with the exception of Jack Donoghue's interest in a certain Hole (ahem), publicly low-key groups in music. So why are they controversial? Because of their lazy, forgettable Britney Spears remix? Because they've played some shitty shows? So what? Salem's strength has always been in their studio output, and while their latest release doesn't reach the sable majesty of their 2010 debut King Night, it still shines with a sickly light all its own.

'I'm Still In The Night' opens with a dying wail, 808s funneled down into a well of drug-addled madness. Considered as a standalone piece, it's the weakest track on the EP, but as an intro it retains a certain power that makes it feel like the perfect gateway drug into Salem's world. The distorted slow pulse of 'Better Off Alone', their much-publicized cover of the Alice Deejay rave classic, is seven minutes of woozy sorrow that I would absolutely love to see dropped in the middle of a typical set at Berlin's famous Berghain club. 'Baby Ratta' is simply beautiful, finger snaps and hog squeals buried under John Holland's indecipherable vocals. This is Salem at their best, thudding bass and simplistic, searing synths that echo through the soul hours after listening.

Finally there's 'Krawl', featuring Jack's trademark slurred rapping that always seems to make so many reviewers pissy. Possibly it's because they're stupid, or horrible, or both; how can you not enjoy such syrupy, sinister nonsense? It's an essential piece of Salem and the witch house genre (yes okay, I know but deal with the name, it's not going away) as a whole: the ghetto and the gothic, hood and hate forming a perfect union that makes this genre what it is. Without that touch of swaggering, posturing screw-hop to give it that menacing juice, all you're left with is a bunch of symbol-happy dudes making what usually amounts to really boring darkwave, and I'm pretty sure that's what Projekt Records exists for already.

As always, repeated listening while thrown is rewarded: I guarantee you'll be finding plenty of new snippets of synths and samples buried under the sonic mayhem. My one real complaint is the lack of Heather Marlatt on vocals. I've always felt she was criminally underused in the band; few Salem cuts equal the epic, holy scope of 'Traxx' or the cold isolation of 'Frost'. Here's hoping their next release remedies this, but until then I, too, will remain happily in the night.