Salem

There have been some genuinely ridiculous musical trends over the past decade or so - the likes of nu rave and nu folk spring to mind, tags that were largely invented by the press - the NME being a particular culprit - and had very little to do with any kind of identifiable uniformity to a band’s sound - but the absolute peak of that kind of thing, or nadir depending on your outlook, came with ‘witch house’, which involved, dark, foreboding electronic music that was often preoccupied, in lyrical terms, with themes of the occult and witchcraft.
As daft as that might sound, there’s no question that there was genuine atmosphere to the output of Michigan band Salem, who combined ominous elements of electronic music with some indie rock tropes to create something that sounded genuinely different. Since releasing their candidly-titled debut EP, Yes, I Smoke Crack, in 2008, they’ve built up a significant cult fanbase, and whilst they might - perhaps unsurprisingly - have divided the critics, there’s no real question that they’ve fascinated crowds with their minimal, but unsettling live shows, that are quite unlike anything that’s come before. They’re currently working on the follow-up to 2010’s King Knight, but expect more dates in the UK once it’s readied.