Three 65, Day 41
Salem, King Night

Salem's sound is difficult to characterize; they're not goth, they're not techno, and although there is sometimes rapping, they're definitely not hip-hop. The music press has also had trouble with this slippery trio, resorting to retarded terms like "witch house" and "drag." (They've also been called "rape gaze," a play on "shoegaze," which pisses a lot of people off. Don't get me started on how stupid each party's position is.)

King Night is their first record, and it's a doozy - a dark doozy. Most of their music is made with keyboards and electronic sound effects - not much guitar here - with ethereal whispering or guttural rapping floating over the background noise. "Asia" features pounding synths and heavy feedback over wordless cooing; the title track sounds like Trans-Siberian Orchestra (you know, "O Holy Night"?) blended with the sounds of a World War II battlefield. "Frost" effectively lives up to its namesake by sounding cold and bleak, and "Sick" features the aforementioned rapping in a slowed down, distorted voice.

"Killer" closes the album with an intense guitar workout; the instruments sound so processed, so far removed from their original intention, that the music is utterly alien. All of this is said in a good way, though. Salem send shivers down your spine, in the best possible way.