LES SAVY FAV – ROOT
FOR RUIN (FRENCHKISS/WICHITA RECORDINGS)
There is a distinct
kind of ringing that is attached to Les Savy Fav. It is there own version of the killer bee,
one that even the Wu-Tang Clan could appreciate. With it comes a stinging assault of/on the
senses and a unique barrage of post-punk that is a sound all of their own.
Root For Ruin is the
fifth studio album from one of New York
The record steps out
swinging, punching with the aggressively jabbing/juddering “Appetites”. This is how every rock album should start
with a song that feels like you’re spinning in circles as fast as possible
while an angry dog barks in your face before it all crashes to the conclusion
of a mantra (repeated refrain) of “I love you to the max, I love you to the
max”, a statement seemingly on loan from Silver Jews borrowed by a different
set of punks in the beerlight. And all
squeezed into 3.33, half the size of the devil.
As the listener picks
themselves up and digs in further the mania maintains with “Dirty Knails”. This track is home to the wonderful
declaration and request from Harrington of “don’t come for me when my body
fails tonight”. Nobody’s perfect.
A strange thing then
occurs with “Sleepless In Silverlake” as the opening bars prove scarily
reminiscent of “I Wanna Be Adored” by the Stone Roses. What the fuck is going here? It all sounds like the band setting sights on
cruise control. It’s baggy.
With this the record
plays out in a fun and varied fashion as “Let’s
Get Out Of Here” offers dirty euphoria while the guitars of “High And
Unhinged” ring out like sirens and “Calm Down” proves downright new wave once
past its Jane’s Addiction-esqe opening baseline.
In “Poltergeist” the
band is at perhaps its most New York
Things expand further
with the surprisingly upbeat and mid tempo “Dear Crutches” which reads like
some kind of ode to an exhausted love.
As the words “I don’t want to be your crutches anymore” ring out you sense
that there is something of an emotional tampon moment occurring.
Closing track “Clear
Spirits” is another lofty excursion that again soars with a similar energy to
Jane’s Addiction while exhibiting the kind of twisted noodling guitars that
Sonic Youth once offered when in their prime.
Even the boxy sounding drums are magnificent. This will echo all night.
With this record Les
Savy Fav remain ambitious and hungry not afraid to adventure or experiment with
their sound. It’s a pleasure to observe
a band retaining its enthusiasm and pulse.
Some bands were just born to be heroes.
Thesaurus moment:
No comments:
Post a Comment