Salo Panto are from Portland, Oregon—but their sound is such a patchwork of influences that it becomes stateless. But rather than diminish, this bestows them volatility and mystique. Bait stuffs its twenty-five minutes with surprises, never content to settle despite leaning into its repetitious grooves with full force. These divergent sounds rally into an irresistible whole. It's both bright and muggy at the same time; swamp mist ablaze with morning sunlight.
The best illustration of this is ‘Bait’, the EP’s title track. We begin with an unassuming, jangly guitar line which—over the course of seven expertly-executed minutes—transforms into a gargantuan riff. Nothing has changed, yet everything has. It’s reminiscent of post-revival Swans, who use repetition to bludgeon listeners into a trance. And, like Swans, Salo Panto expertly combine styles. ‘Bait’ is a cocktail of Savages-esque post-punk and freewheeling prog which somehow feels natural.
More influences can be felt elsewhere. The chorus of ‘Impatient Machine’ (“You’re so impatient machine”) feels built around Fall-like nonsense poetry which, unlike the work of M.E.S., does resolve into clear meaning. If there is one criticism to be made of Salo Panto, it’s this attachment to meaning. Lyrics can tend to the overt, the rational, even the didactic.
But to say that Salo Panto are nowhere near as radical as the Fall is moot—no band can be. They do exhibit a control and a collaborative spirit, though, which the enormity of M.E.S.’s ego always chased a hundred miles from any Fall release.
And it’s this control which is Salo Panto's ace in the hole. Without it, rock groups can loosen, rattle free of their own concept, and descend into jam-band dick-measuring. But on Bait, solos and meaty drum fills service the listener and the rest of the band—not just the one playing.
Bait is available to purchase and stream here.
Words by Andrew O’Keefe