MELODY MAKER (March, 20 1999)
Nobility Of Salt: Through Clouds And Thoughtful
Years
Nobility Of Salt hail originally from Frankfurt, but have been living in London for the past 18 months. This will, of course, explain the heavy Italian gondola influence on their sound, which is a cross between The Cure, circa Disintegration and the kind of thing youd want to hear over a salad consisting of small rubbery things with tentacles. Perhaps they were aiming for the Portishead spy thriller style, but what with the spooky simulated wind noises and the ultimate gloom of the whole thing, they dont succeed.
INFO: 0181 558 4413
Holly Hernandez
Energeia (italian press 1999)
Nobility Of Salt: Through Clouds And Thoughtful Years (CS, autoproduzione)
Really unbelievable the story of the brothers Ricardo and Rene Hoffmann and Ines Pollok, who joined them. They have literally broken free from their german roots to search for musical luck in London, where they played ten concerts so far ( and thats more than a little, if you see how things go... ) These fantastic and neoromantic emigrants of music understood that if they wanted to have a good reputation, they had to go to the home of this kind of music. That metropolis, which bore their idols And Also The Trees too. And while the last mentioned have been emigrated to Switzerland in the last years, live their natural descendants at the moment in England to satisfy a bit of their thirst or even enthusiasm. From the songtitels to the label, from the content of the songs to the music, it all carries the reminiscence of the Jones brothers with the dramatic singer and the aura of the past. The use of a flowing and wave-like guitar, sometimes softly floating like a feather and sometimes in lamentation together with the bass, which characterzise the first elements to reflect the told stories among anxiety, tears, the wild oceans and those victorian gates, which are rusty by time. To wake up one morning between the green fields of life and to fight the suffering of the human soul with the only available weapon this music. Thats the disposable way out of Nobility Of Salt and they use this option in the best way as they can. Congratulations! But we are impatient to know what the next way is...
David Morgera
translation by
Luca Di Salvo and
Ricardo Hoffmann
(Energeia
Via Manzoni No. 9
Qualiano ( NA )
80019
Italy)
ORKUS (No. 2 / February 1999)
Nobility Of Salt: Through Clouds And Thoughtful Years
What a pity ... After I have listened several times to the an hour-long tape by Nobility Of Salt, I have to say its driving me crazy that the tape is just recorded in an extremely low-budget process. Because if the tape was a touch better, I ought to praise the heavenly Through Clouds And Thoughtful Years as the best demo material I ever received. Nobility Of Salt are Rene Hoffmann (vocals), the all-rounder Ricardo Hoffmann (guitar, keyboard, bass, drums), Ines Pollok (bass, guitar) and hail originally from Frankfurt (Oder), but have been living in London for the past two years. They offer completely brilliant, dreamy-melancholic romantic wave. As clue I can mention two excellent bands: And Also The Trees and Band Of Holy Joy. The vocals remind me very strong of the male voice of the last mentioned, the song structure but especially the mandolinblinking guitar foresees a predilection of the songwriter Ricardo to the gigantic englishmen And Also The Trees. Thats marvellous! So therefore make an effort and order the tape perhaps Nobility Of Salt have then enough money to produce their next work in a better quality. Unfortunately Ive got no informations from the three guys about the price of their tape, but we have the accomodation address: Ricardo Hoffmann, 54 Perth Road (Leyton), London E10 7PB, England.
Stefan Walther
translation by
Ricardo Hoffmann