Music Review – The Salvaged Mind’s ‘Falter Down’
The Salvaged Mind is an enigmatic new indie effort that has seemingly appeared out of nowhere in the last few weeks. He only has a handful of tracks on Sound Cloud and his only serious online presence, a Facebook page, has no relevant information. I believe the effort is the moniker of Steven Cetnarowski, which would definitely lead to the conclusion that he’s the mastermind behind the instrumentation. One of his new tunes is ‘Falter Down,’ a lo-fi, unsettling effort that offers a glimpse into his upcoming debut album, ‘Sleeping On Razors and Wire.’
‘Falter Down’ is not the song you would put on if you’re trying to chill out, woo a woman, or rock out. (I feel like a lot of rock could be arranged into variations of those three categories.) Rather, it’s a bit uncomfortable to listen to at times, especially during the choruses when The Salvaged Mind just drills “falter down, falter down” into your head. It’s a bit industrial, somewhat electronic, and definitely alternative and avant garde. The use of the tambourine percussion and methodic tempo reminds me of the Velvet Underground’s ‘Venus in Furs.’
You could argue that ‘Venus in Furs’ achieves the same thing ‘Falter Down’ attempts to – create a different space that isn’t traditionally and immediately acceptable and likeable. The Velvets have quite a few legs up, though, because their lyrics and instrumental prowess matched their weirdness. ‘Falter Down’ feels a bit repetitive too quickly, wandering into some obscure territory that The Salvaged Mind occupies. Translation: it has the potential to be really cool, but feels a bit too much like every other avant garde indie act at times.
I think the creative direction The Salvaged Mind is going in is definitely worth exploring. I think ‘Falter Down’ is a flawed, but ultimately effective avenue for the endeavor to showcase its oddities before the release of ‘Sleeping On Razors and Wire.’ That release could be more telling in regard to The Salvaged Mind’s relevance. There has been a resurgence in recent years with avant garde and Velvet-esque music stylings. As Brian Eno once famously said about their first record, “everyone who bought it formed a band.” The Salvaged Mind is proof that lineage is still alive and well.
By Brett Stewart
I’m a professional writer and editor, a journalism major, and I have extensive experience in musical review. I worked for two years as the Editor & Chief of an arts magazine, Strike Magazine, where I worked closely with writers and musicians. Through this, I was able to interact with dozens of acts including Heart, Holly Williams, Robert Cray, John Hiatt, and more. The magazine printed thousands of issues and was even recognized by Rolling Stone’s founder, Jann Wenner.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Exposed Vocals: How did you hear about Exposed Vocals? What made you decide to sign up?
The Salvaged Mind: I received a message on my twitter account, asking if I wanted to do an interview. I was and am very excited for this opportunity.
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
The Salvaged Mind: I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Spent my first few years in Bay View, Wisconsin and then moved to a nearby town called Menomonee Falls. Becoming an artist was something that was just engrained in me I guess. I was introduced to the world of music at a very young age. Led-Zeppelin was the band I remember hearing the most during my formative years, so I became very comfortable with the world of music very quickly. Once I hit 13 I started exploring music and finding out what I really enjoyed. I actually have to thank The Red Hot Chili Peppers for inspiring me to write poetry and start plugging into my creativity. Then, at about 15 years old I started getting into now my favorite band Nine Inch Nails. That’s when I started to play around with recording. In terms of personal reasons, I grew up an outcast. Not really fitting into any sort of mold in school or outside of school. So naturally I became frustrated and started to express myself by writing songs.
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
The Salvaged Mind: The Salvaged Mind is an idea, not just a band name. I was walking down a rode one afternoon and started to think about what to name my band. I was thinking about something that represented being ignored, hopeless, helpless, frustrated, and misunderstood. So the ‘Salvaged’ in The Salvaged Mind represents all those things coming together.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
The Salvaged Mind: I think it’s a great tool to get music out for the people to hear. I use soundcloud as a means of getting music out to people for free, as well as some youtube videos.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
The Salvaged Mind: I think it’s just a trial and error thing. If you have the passion to make music, then don’t give up.
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
The Salvaged Mind: I don’t do many live performances. However, the recording process is one that I have messed up many times on. However, I just simply do another take.
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
The Salvaged Mind: I have not gone on tour as of yet.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
The Salvaged Mind: It usually starts with me experimenting on some synths and guitars. Going through different effect pedals and seeing what I am interested in doing at the time. Inspiration for the songs themselves comes from personal experiences or stories that I’ve read. I don’t feel like a song is good enough unless I’ve exhausted enough emotion into it.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
The Salvaged Mind: The band has a Facebook and Instagram page. I also use soundcloud for free sharing of music.
Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
The Salvaged Mind: Probably just some old demos I have of myself from a few years back.
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
The Salvaged Mind: I would spend it on some music equipment and take the time to focus more on recording, making sure the music was the best it could be. Maybe even hire some people to help mix and master the songs.
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
The Salvaged Mind: That’s kind of a spur of the moment thing. I am always looking to get better recording equipment. Right now I use Mixcraft as a means of mixing and mastering. It’s a very good product, I enjoy using it.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
The Salvaged Mind: I promote through social media and interviews such as this. I am open almost anything when it comes to getting my band’s name out there.
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
The Salvaged Mind: I would love to record with Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. Wither it be us writing together or him just being a producer. That would be the best thing ever in my little world. But, that’s just a dream.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
The Salvaged Mind: I have a new album coming out called ‘Sleeping On Razors and Wire’. It will be released on iTunes and amazon music later this November. It’s the debut so it’s a little nerve racking.
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
The Salvaged Mind: I really don’t know. I would probably write stories.
Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?
The Salvaged Mind: Yes, Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden. It’s still one of my favorite albums and it blew me away the first time I heard it. I think I was 14 when I got that one.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
The Salvaged Mind: I stay up really late to make sure I do everything I have to do.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
The Salvaged Mind: Possibly another album. Maybe an ep and some other cool stuff. I’ll just say that there is a lot of stuff that I’m working on right now and I can’t wait for people to hear it.
