the digg - sal's kitchen

The Digg

Sal's Kitchen
self-released; 2013

3.7 out of 5

By Ethan Skeleton

The Digg is a trio based in Wellington, New Zealand and their four-song debut EP Sal’s Kitchen features swirling psychedelia with a dash of surf rock and spaghetti Western style guitar. It should be mentioned that there is an overall sense of listening to “Rawhide” as you listen to this EP. You might wonder where this fits in to a standard model of music appreciation. I wonder myself, but that’s the thing about music is that there’s an infinite number of ways to interpret and understand it. I’d bet seeing them live would be all it took to fully embrace that which is The Digg.

The guitar on “Mellow Wave” is a little “Misirlou” and the effects are very a la 60’s. The snare drum marches along into a heavier passage with washing cymbal. “The Concord” is sort of chaos in a way. To start, there’s a nebula of arraying guitar slides while at the same time the guttural register of down-tuned distortion, panning heavily compressed sonic with discordant chords. Not for easy listening, but definitely right for some mind expansion. And oh yes, “The Nugget.” Funk much? The drums have a dry tasty tone and crack with authenticity. The sax bleeds sweet red and blows hard. This track is mixed with vintage production in mind and it fits like a glove. 

“Baker’s Dozen” ignites with a crash to set off a warm churning bomb of sex. It’s Gary Clark Jr. and a little Prince stuffed in a slow jam. There’s a lot of grit and edge to it still so it plays just as hot in the car as in the bedroom. The end skyrockets into full on rockdom with quick fills and guitar shreds.

From start to finish, it’s hard to peg what’s coming next from these guys. In their near future, I would think they’re refining their sound and looking for a staple to spread throughout an LP. Right now they’re solid, but I want to see them unified in purpose and presenting a faster digested style. It would be great to peek inside what’s hot and trending in New Zealand beyond just what the Internet can tell you. My opinion could easily be swayed on this issue if The Digg had developed a scene all its own. Guess I’ll have to wait until I’m down under to really find out!

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