Nicholas Snyder

Song Of Salt | TRS114

web page pic The film Song Of Salt is a road movie of sorts…a static take on a desert town lost in time, abandoned, and yet still occupied…burnt by the sun, forever etched by dust…

“Set in an isolated mining town on the outskirts of Death Valley, Song of Salt is an immersive glimpse into the struggles and celebrations within a tight-knit community as its residents, suspended between the past and the future, face the present realities of an eroding economy.
A microcosm of contemporary American rurality, Trona, California demonstrates the complexities, hardships, and small beauties that are revealed when we look beyond prevailing stereotypes. Oscillating between dramatic stillness and wild freedom, patient observation and intimate immersion, the film goes on an engaging and dignified exploration of what it means to be both forgotten and free.”

The soundtrack by Nicolas Snyder perfectly suits the lonely and isolated reality of the desert town of Trona, California. This melancholic mix of plaintive guitar work, cello, hand instruments and chimes, field recordings, and appropriate industrial electronic treatments, all lead to an overall feeling of a pastoral American spiritualism, with a primal edge shining through. With brief interspersions of dialog and liturgical referencing, the album moves from moments of a lovely desolate reverie, to those of an almost shamanic intensity as the pounding drums carry for miles in the desert air, and the lonesome guitar carries even further…
Here is a link to the film…
https://www.songofsaltfilm.com/

The Song Of Salt release will as usual come in two distinct editions.

The Limited Edition version comes in an edition of only 47 copies. A 10”, clear vinyl record comes in a recycled kraft-board, gatefold jacket, which has been extensively modified in the usual TRS fashion.

Imagine driving all day in the desert heat, and stumbling across one of the many deserted old houses dotting the area. Seeking shade in the home, you find covered in dust in the corner what looks like a copy of a strange old LP of some sort. The jacket front has a burned and corner mounted photo of the town of Trona and its chemical plant, with the artist and album titles hand labelled on a vintage Dymo-Mite Tapewriter. The reverse of the jacket has a unique assemblage of personal family ephemera, antique photos and letters, a paper Trona Corp. memorial coin, bible stories and other old adverts, all mounted on a sheet of vintage wallpaper as though stripped off the kitchen wall in the next room. The inside panels of the gatefold are covered with maps of the desert and its lake, upon which is superimposed a torn and reassembled aerial photo of the town of Trona. The package also includes a 10” square textual insert with the album credits and the history of Trona, another large printed photo of the town a century ago, a page from a 1950’s Trona High School yearbook, diagrams and charts from a 100 year old book on the history of Searles Lake and the industrializing of it, and an old Trona postcard reproduction, hand signed by composer Nicolas Snyder.

There is also a standard version of this release in a 10” color, reverse board printed jacket, with 10” square printed insert. In an edition of 150 copies.

Each deluxe copy is unique and may or may not be the copies pictured.

This release will ship in mid-late May 2025.

>>>>> About the Musician <<<<< TRS114 Nicolas Snyder Bio image

Nicolas Snyder has composed the music for numerous films, including the recent, much acclaimed animated series, Scavengers Reign.
“I was born and raised in rural Pennsylvania and currently reside in North West Pasadena, CA. I’m a composer, filmmaker, sound-documenter, artist, and forager. I love creating and utilizing interesting textures and timbres. I work in all genres, all formats. My main intention is always to bring something beautiful and fresh to whatever it is I’m working on.”
Nicolas Snyder