In the early days of No Depression (that’s way back to the mid-late 1990s for you whippersnappers), we took the “whatever that is” part of our slogan pretty seriously. Which is to say, not seriously, in terms of deciding what did or didn’t belong under the ND umbrella. This first column of 2026 feels reflective of that, with everything from Americana to indie-rock to singer-songwriters and even mainstream country.
Salt Collective — A Brief History Of Blindness
Stéphane Schück of French band Salt is loosely at the center of this all-star indie ensemble, whose remotely-recorded 2023 release Life seemed like it would probably be a one-off. But things clicked enough for a follow-up, and this time everyone gathered in North Carolina to work at Mitch Easter’s Fidelitorium studio with Mitch Easter producing. The Collective has also gone through some changes, as collectives do: Besides Chris Stamey and Schück, returnees include Nada Surf’s Matthew Caws and Wilco’s Pat Sansone, but many of the singers are new recruits. Chapel Hill legend Lynn Blakey makes the title track’s offbeat melody shine, and she teams with R.E.M.’s Mike Mills on the uplifting “In The Shadow Of The Moon.” Easter is a perfect frontman for the acerbic “Ex Post Facto Kids.” XTC’s Andy Partridge contributed as a writer on a couple of tracks, including the effervescent “You Swallowed The Sun,” with Stamey and Sansone singing. Stamey shares vocals on the album-closing “All The Rage” with Aimee Mann, whose spot-on harmonies are maybe the single most appealing thing about a record with a lot of upsides.
