Sault
continued their high level of productivity and inscrutable numeric patterns with
Nine
, issued nine months after
Untitled (Rise)
with a warning that it would "only exist for 99 days." It's their fifth album, not to be confused with
5
, their first one, and it's their shortest work since
7
, their second one. Principals
Inflo
,
Cleo Sol
, and
Kid Sister
this time welcome input from more peers with whom they've connected outside the group.
Jack Penate
and
Jungle
's
Josh Lloyd-Watson
pick up songwriting credits, and so does
Little Simz
, whose stern verse adds contrast to an otherwise comical oddity. Given the small timeframe in which
have presented a large mass of art that moves, the impulse to assume that
must be an outtakes patchwork is strong. The abrupt changes in style and mood are a little more pronounced than on the previous four releases, and a couple songs sound either incomplete or extemporaneous. The aforementioned track with
, for instance, follows a sparse ballad of hungover bluesy soul, and precedes a sublime song of consolation in which they trip out like circa-'68 Black
Beatles
(no disrespect to
Rae Sremmurd
). A substantial portion of the set plays out like fragments of a concept album about grim street life caused by a lack of opportunities and endangered by a surplus of looming threats (such as the dehumanizing authorities they've been singing about since the debut). The sentiments of these songs are reinforced with spoken recollections of tragedy and survival, and some of the group's most vigorous, potentially bassbin-wrecking rhythms, exemplified by a brawling post-punk bassline, some throttling drums, and a hostile peacocking dancehall switch-up. Just as integral are the affectionate
-powered ballads in the second half. Total absorption reveals that this is simply part of
's ever-expanding and increasingly colorful tapestry, no slapdash addendum. ~ Andy Kellman