Salt - The Loneliness of Clouds (Beehive)

Arising from the sessions for Supercalifragile, the final, posthumous Game Theory album, Salt turns on the collaboration of Posies co-frontman Ken Stringfellow, singer/songwriter Anton Barbeau and French guitarist/songwriter Stephane Schück. Joined by Schück associates and Supercalifragile participants Fred Quentin (bass) and Benoit Lautridou (drums), the trio submits a bucket of the kind of catchy, slightly psychedelic power pop you’d expect from these folks. “A Song For Jerome” and “The G Words of Your Life” jump right into the hooky end of the guitar pop pool. “Blast With Happy Guru” and “Shiny Leather Sun” dip toes into acidic waters without losing rock & roll drive. “Dandelions” and “Miracle Soul Pow(d)er” reach for anthemic status and damn near reach it. Primary songwriters Schück and Barbeau are plainly incapable of penning anything that doesn’t have hooks, while Stringfellow uses his producer’s seat to guide the tracks toward maximum melodic glory. Fans of the principal should definitely find this, but aficionados of guitar-based melody and singalong choruses should also indulge their curiosity.