SAAL – White Whisper (Waterfall Records)

It has been a while since we had anything singer-songwriter related on our pages, and what’s a better way to start this rainy day than some calm indie music? This record has recently arrived at our headquarters thanks to our friends at Bite It PR, and it’s been on heavy rotation since then. As far as I am informed, White Whisper is a debut full-length album by SAAL, a Berlin-based singer-songwriter who put a lot of ideas and effort into this material. Besides White Whisper, SAAL has also released a single named Signs on CD and streaming services. All in all, it’s a fine piece of sonic artistry you need to hear to comprehend SAAL’s brilliance.

White Whisper consists of ten soothing acoustic songs empowered by so many other complementary instruments. However, those orchestrations are often delicate, minimal, and calm, while the primary focus is on the SAAL’s high-pitched but whispery vocal harmonies. Besides the vocal performance, the first details you’ll notice are heavy piano melodies that sometimes shape up the ambiance of the particular compositions. However, there is always more. Another thing that defines the pace and keeps the remainder of the orchestrations in line are downtempo, half-time rhythmic sequences. You’ll unquestionably hear how the beats appear only at the particular segments of these songs, while those calmer ones include discreet accentuations over ride cymbal. Still, it seems that SAAL dominantly relies upon thoughtfully assembled chord progressions performed on acoustic guitar. Each composition reveals many hidden gems and surprises along the way, so I highly advise you to pay close attention while listening to this record.

Perhaps SAAL almost solely relies upon indie throughout the entire album, but you’ll detect many other music genres that inspired this creative artist to write and compose such an incredible album. Some of the finest properties of dream pop, shoegaze, rhythm and blues, indie-rock, and acoustic rock roam around. Of course, let’s not forget typical singer-songwriter and indie folk stuff included on many of these numbers because White Whisper has plenty of it. White Whisper will be right up your alley if you’re looking for a cathartic but catchy indie album. The vinyl record is available at Waterfall Records, but you can also listen to it on all streaming platforms.