#1 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — SAULT
Air, 11, AIIR, X (Angel) EP, Earth, Today & Tomorrow, and Untitled (God) by SAULT
Yes, my #1 album of 2022 is actually six albums and an EP. It’s my Top 31 and I do what I want. But also, if you heard any or all of these albums, you’d understand why I can’t pick just one1.
SAULT are an enigma. They are a musical collective, made up of an unknown number of people, led by who smart people are 99% sure is producer Dean Josiah Cover, professionally known as Inflo, most famous for working with Bacon Review alum Michael Kiwanuka (#10 in 2019) and British rapper Little Simz2. Nobody in the band has given an interview, presented a photo of themselves as part of SAULT, or created a single music video. They are nowhere, the anti-Beyoncé, an R&B, hip hop, house, and disco-fueled puzzle, and these 6.5 albums collectively represent the best the music industry had to offer in 2022.
Between 2019 and prior to 2022, SAULT had released five albums. (Their first two albums, 5 and 7 were jointly #7 in 2019. Their third and fourth albums, Untitled (Black Is) and Untitled (Rise) were jointly #5 in 2020. NINE was #26 in 2021, and if you recall, this album was only available for download / streaming for 99 days, and it is now frustratingly unavailable everywhere.) In April of 2022, the collective surprised the world by releasing a modern classical album, devoid of any vocals, called Air. On October 10, they put out an EP called _X_ that had a lone, 10-minute track on it. And then, on October 31, they posted this on Twitter and Instagram:
The next day, they provided a link to a password-protected WeTransfer page that allowed anyone who accessed it a free, high-quality download of five brand new albums, a total of 3 hours and 40 minutes of bliss.
I haven’t loved everything SAULT has created. Air, their all-orchestral classical album from early in 2022, was so jarring and out of left field, I couldn’t ever connect to it. But when they released “Angel,” the lone, 10-minute song on the _X_ EP, (and featured in the audio YouTube link above), I’d found a new obsession. It is their best track, period. It has three parts to it, starts off in reggae, leads through a gospel choral arrangement, and ends in a gentle acoustic realm. It is pure magic.
The five albums released on November 1 are strewn with fantastic, genre-spanning music. My favorites are “Morning Sun” and “Together” from 11; “The Return” and “Above the Sky” from Today & Tomorrow; “The Lords With Me” and “God Is In Control” from Earth; the disco-tinged “Faith” from Untitled (God). They did claim these five albums were “an offering to god,” and yes there’s a lot of theology within, but music is my church of choice, and this is the most eclectic religion you’ll ever encounter.
SAULT’s mystery may soon be vanquished. On November 19, the collective posted to their Twitter and Instagram, asking “If we were to do a live show…………which songs would you want to hear?” Nothing more has come of the posts, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see SAULT show up on a festival lineup sometime this summer. Nobody has any idea what they’ll do on stage. Maybe they’ll pull a Daft Punk and hide their faces. Or maybe they’ll put up a scrim and perform behind it, broadcasting cartoon versions of themselves onto it, a la Gorillaz. Or maybe they’ll be the next holographic Tupac. I’m on the edge of my seat waiting to find out.
SAULT’s full repertoire isn’t for everyone — I’d even make the case that the entirety of it is most definitely not for anyone. But there is something in here for each of us to love. The amount of music they produced in 2022 alone, and the musical span of what they released, is unmatched by any other artists. Seek out what you can, and then join me in the scavenger hunt for the rest. Who the hell knows where they’re going next.
1. Additionally, it’s become common practice around these parts to award an artist for every album they put out, collectively, that year.↩
2. Little Simz released another Inflo-produced album, her third, titled No Thank You, on December 19, 2022. With Inflo the main person in SAULT, and Little Simz having appeared numerous times in across their albums (including the wonderful “Free” on Untitled (God)), I considered including that album as part of this #1 parade. ↩
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2. RENAISSANCE by Beyoncé
3. This Is a Photograph by Kevin Morby
4. Lucifer On the Sofa by Spoon
5. Palomino by First Aid Kit
6. We've Been Going About This All Wrong by Sharon Van Etten
7. SOS by SZA
8. Wet Leg by Wet Leg
9. Chloë and the Next 20th Century by Father John Misty
10. Big Time by Angel Olsen
11. Ants From Up There by Black Country, New Road
12. Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To the Sky by Porridge Radio
13. I Walked with You a Ways by Plains
14. The Last Goodbye by Odesza
15. A Light for Attracting Attention by The Smile
16. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar
17. Inside Problems by Andrew Bird
18. Laurel Hell by Mitski
19. Full Moon Project by Phosphorescent
20. Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C.
21. I Love You Jennifer B by Jockstrap
22. Too Much to Ask by Cheekface
23. Dripfield by Goose
24. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief
25. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood
26. NOT TiGHT by DOMi & JD BECK
27. Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
28. Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists
29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs
There are many ways to listen to the 2022 Bacon Top 31. Subscribe now and enjoy the new albums / songs as they are revealed on the countdown!
Full Album
All albums in their entirety.
Radio Station
A single song selection pulled from each album.