Louder Than The Music

Husband and wife duo Anita & Ben Tatlow are collectively known as Salt Of The Sound. They have just released their new EP 'Through The Mist', and LTTM caught up with the couple to find out their views on Christian music.

Tell us a little bit about your new album 'Through The Mist' and what the inspiration behind it was?

ANITA
 - ‘Through The Mist’ is an expression of yearning to know God more fully, just as He knows us, and is thematically inspired by a verse in 1 Corinthians:

We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
(1 Corinthians 13:12. The Message)

We wanted to explore this theme through different musical sounds and styles, while still creating an EP that feels like it works as a whole. Each song plays a part in expressing a facet of the theme: where we fit into God’s bigger plan; patience to see what God is planning for us; the awesomeness of God; the hope that we have through Him; beginning to see God more clearly; and exploring this journey that we are traveling together.

Which is your favorite track on the album and why?

BEN - 
On both this EP, and our debut album ‘Journeys’, we have combined both instrumental tracks, which sometimes include a short refrain, with more complex songs. From a production point of view, I’d say my favourite song is track two: Make Me Wait. The title is really quite apt in that it took us probably longer than any other track we’ve written to record and produce in a way we were happy with! I can think of at least four close-to-finished versions that we just didn’t feel captured the message of the song in the right style.

ANITA - 
For me it has to be the final track: I’ll Meet You Where You Are / Home To You. This track was conceived many years ago and, as with Make Me Wait, has taken several different forms but it was not until we were working through different ideas for ‘Through the Mist’ that this song came into its own. In many ways, this song is almost becoming the theme of my life as I find it speaks to me in so many different situations. 


This album is very different to most ‘Christian’ Music out there, do you think that helps or hinders the band?

BEN - 
I think it works both ways! When people hear our music, their reaction is often ‘I haven’t heard Christian music like this before, but I like it’. This is a wonderful affirmation of the musical direction we’ve taken, but also poses a discoverability challenge! We write music with the vision that it could both be used in times of personal reflection, both at home at in church environments - and right now far fewer people are searching for this kind of music as opposed to, say, CCM or worship music. But with the explosion of Christian EDM tracks at the moment, both in quantity and quality, I’m personally hopeful that people will increasingly be open to and choose to listen to a wider variety of electronic genres within Christian music.

Do you prefer playing live or working in the studio?

BEN - 
Our work in the studio tends to be that Anita writes a song or idea on the piano, then I take it and produce it into the form you hear on our releases. Live music gives us the opportunity to really work together on the songs. Recently, we’ve been working a lot more on our ‘live’ sound, trying to figure out the best way of organically incorporating some electronic elements within an essentially acoustic set. It’s an interesting challenge, and one that we’re looking forward to exploring more this coming year!

If you could work with any songwriter, who would it be and why?

ANITA
Do I have to pick just one? There are so many songwriters and musicians that I admire: Sara Groves is someone whose work I have followed for many years. Her songs are so captivating, they are complex and often deep thematically, yet they hold an air of simplicity - clever stuff! In recent years, I also discovered Christa Wells: she is an incredibly gifted songwriter who always seems to be able to produce something new and intriguing. Another independent duo on our radar are In Cathedrals - they are producing some excellent ‘experimental’ electronic Christian music at the moment. I definitely recommend checking them out!

What is your favorite album of all time? Why?


ANITA
 - I don’t know if I have an answer to this. I dip in and out of music so much, depending on how I feel, what season it is, where I am etc. I suppose, in some ways, different styles of music are the soundtrack to my life. Although in 2014, I loved Francesca Battistelli’s album, ‘If We’re Honest’.

BEN
- Big question! As with Anita, I go through phases of listening to different bands and styles of music. Over the past few years, one album that really stands out as an example of both brilliant musicianship as well as pushing the boundaries of the electronic music genre is Jon Hopkins’ ‘Immunity’. For me, Jon Hopkins is a real inspiration in the way he meshes electronic and live sounds into beautiful, lush soundscapes that morph and develop in a really organic way. 


How would you define success in your career as a band?

ANITA - 
I think success can come in so many different forms: both big and small. You do want people to appreciate the music you write and I find it such an encouragement when we get messages from people who have taken the time to contact us about how God is at work in their lives through our music. And this is our prayer: that our music would reach the people who need to hear it in the hope that it might impact their lives in some small way. I would say that if our music helps someone to connect with God, even in the tiniest of ways, then our music is a success.

What advice would you give to any aspiring young bands/artists out there?

BEN - 
I used to work in marketing so here are a few tips that I’ve picked up along the way! Firstly, I think it’s important to have a clear idea of who your music is for and how it might be listened to. It’s good to have a niche of sorts, and it makes it much easier to explain your music to people if they ask about it. I’d definitely recommend finding a style that suits your creativity and vision, and not worrying too much about the latest trends. Secondly, if you want other people to listen to your music - as most musicians do! - you need to have a clear idea of how people are going to find out about you. Keep trying different things out, you might be surprised as to what works well. For example, we have a section on our website which features different selections of interesting Christian music - people come across these articles in Google and in turn they often find out about our original music. On the other hand, I’ve seen bands who focus solely on SoundCloud or YouTube for their listener base, which has proved incredibly valuable for them. Finally, learn how to write an clear and concise press release and invest in relationships with blogs, websites, podcasts and radio stations who have in interest in the kind of music you are writing.

You're stuck on an island, it's hot, you only have enough battery life left to listen to one song on your mp3 player. What track is it?

ANITA - 
He Knows My Name by Francesca Battistelli. For sure.


BEN
 - Given all that heat, I think I’d want to listen to something that would remind me of the cold. Maybe something by Carinthia, music inspired by Austrian mountains - I’ll say his track Selah.


What does the next year hold for Salt Of The Sound?

ANITA
 - In the first part of this new year, we’re looking forward to experimenting with some new styles and sounds through the re-working of a few traditional hymns. I think the most important thing, though, is for us to stay open and actively listen to where God wants to take our lives and our music for 2015 and beyond. We write music for reflection, not because we are experts in this area but because we too need to take more time away from the busy-ness of life ourselves.

Find out more at saltofthesound.com