SAL – Conversations with My Therapist

Sal are a Welsh melodic rock band with female vocals. While the material seems to be written to be accepted by every mainstream radio station, it can also be played at your local Irish pub. The way that the singer keeps overpronouncing the lyrics really sucks when you actually have a look at them.

If at this point, you haven’t figured out what kind of self important douchebags this band are made of, please reconsider the title of the record: "Conversations With My Therapist". I guess they think that in order to be a troubled artist, you need to seek psychiatric help. But let the lyrics speak for themselves (from the title song): "The Conversations that we have make me glad I spend my days with you". Okay… so the singer is glad she gets to pay someone to listen to her bullshit?

"You ask me things about myself, I will tell you and no one else, and I’ll always come back for more, I’m stronger than before" – I guess she likes to talk about herself, what an original trait for a female! All these philosophical musings are uttered over a rough, new-metally riff that is way too aggressive for the lyrics. In the chorus she asks whether she is going insane, I guess she doesn’t even have the slightest idea of what that could possibly mean.

…which is absolutely confirmed by their song "Ordinary Guy". It is about a normal, nice guy who for some unexplainable reason runs amok. All of this from an outside perspective, they make no attempt to emphasize with him at all (other than stereotypically mentioning "The Catcher in the Rye"), thereby creating the very same conditions that motivate these shootings in the first place. Pull your heads out of your asses for once and be open to different viewpoints,  try to really get into the head of such a person. The people talking the most about empathy are the least empathetic. For a nuanced perspective on spree killings check out "Going Postal: Rage, Murder, and Rebellion: From Reagan’s Workplaces to Clinton’s Columbine and Beyond" by Mark Ames. In contrast to Sal, who exploit these tragedies for entertainment, Ames explores the fundamental motivations and circumstances of these shootings and through his analysis paves the way for societal changes needed to prevent them.

Lastly, The Cranberries during their existence covered suspiciously similar musical and lyrical ground, which is why I advise you to listen to their records if you are into emotional melodic rock with female vocals.

www.saltheband.co.uk
www.myspace.com/saltheband
www.coprorecords.co.uk