Les Savy Fav
http://www.lessavyfav.com

styles: post-punk, art-punk, indie rock
others: Fugazi, The Dismemberment Plan, Pixies

Inches
French Kiss, 2004
rating: 5/5
reviewer: wolfman


Even before the release of its debut album in 1999, The Cat and the Cobra, Les Savy Fav mustered an idea that would either become a musical triumph or an utter failure. The plan was to release nine seven-inches on nine different labels, an idea that would turn enthusiasts of Les Savy Fav's art-punk drama into either devouring completists or failing incompletists. It was the latter case more often than not, as some of these seven-inches were near-impossible to find (French Kiss put it best when they said, "Even the band doesn't have copies of some of these songs"). But with Inches, all nine seven-inch releases have been conveniently compiled onto one disc, completing the prophesied cycle that was premeditated even before the first song was recorded. And it just so happens to be Les Savy Fav's strongest release yet.

Les Savy Fav first caught my attention in 2000 with the release of Rome (Written Upside Down). At times soulful and melodic, and at other times downright trashy and abrasive, this 5-track EP exposed me to their inventive punk noise. Intertwined with this sonic output was a reputation for having an elaborate, melodramatic live show, led by their lead vocalist and primary shit-disturber, Tim Harrington. Rarely would you not see Harrington dangling from the rafters at a live performance. Appropriately enough, Inches not only captures the band's live performance on the bonus DVD, but it also showcases the band's musical achievements and evolution throughout their career on the CD. From the opening electro-drum sequence of "Meet Me in the Dollar Bin" to the full-throttle assault of standout track "Our Coastal Hymn," the group proves their successful excursions in both diversity and the refinement of their songwriting craft.

To be sure, Inches is not your typical compilation. Even though the music varies in both quality and style depending on when it was recorded, the idea behind the album transcends the disparate production techniques and songwriting contexts. And because it was sequenced to run from newer tracks to older, the album provides the listeners a regressive experience that traces back to when the original idea was first conceived for this new release -- a circular experience indeed. In short, Inches is a mandatory release for all Les Savy Fans, both serious and casual. Praise to those Fav fans that collected each one of the seven-inches in the last eight years. For the rest of us, it is now time to complete the Les Savy Fav experience.

1. Meet Me in the Dollar Bin
2. Hold On to Your Genre
3. We'll Make a Lover of You
4. Fading Vibes
5. The Sweat Descends
6. Knowing How the World Works
7. Hello Halo, Goodbye Glands
8. Obsessed With the Excess
9. One Way Window
10. Yawn, Yawn, Yawn
11. No Sleeves
12. Reprobates Resume
13. Reformat [live]
14. Reformat
15. Bringing Us Down
16. Our Coastal Hymn
17. Blackouts on Thursday
18. Rodeo

Go Forth
French Kiss, 2001
rating: 4/5
reviewer: xiou


Les Savy Fav's third album Go Forth retains the same post-punk decorum and menacing assault of 3/5 and Cat & Cobra, filtered through last year's gripping Rome (Written Upside Down) EP. Upon the first few listens, Go Forth provides an exciting array of off-kilter melodies and hardcore attitude. Unfortunately, the more you spin the album, the less it surprises.

This is not to say that Go Forth is bad just because the album fails to keep its secrets very long; it just doesn't have the ability to make you crave the entire album, which is vital for 12 songs that do not stylistically stray too far from one another.

The tracklisting is fairly consistent throughout, but the stronger songs reveal themselves quickly. In fact, the better half of the album is laced with the same intensity and vigor from the lauded EP, but usually never quite reaches the EP's visceral impact.

The album's main stroke of brilliance comes with album opener "Tragic Monsters" and centerpiece "One to Three". The former joins Built to Spill's "The Plan" and Nirvana's "Serve the Servants" as one of the best opening album tracks, while the latter showcases an abnormally plaintive Tim Harrington vocalizing over a laid-back groove that would even get Afghans bobbing their collective heads.

The intensity of Les Savy Fav's live show translates pretty well on the record. Produced by Phil Ek (Built to Spill, Modest Mouse), Go Forth is raw, gritty, and in-your-face. The guitars have just the right amount of crunch, the drums are balanced perfectly, and the basslines are thicker than the Soul Glo in my Afro.

Tim Harrington's vicious off-key vocals are at their most flexible and the lyrics are-- as usual-- quizzical and quirky. Ranging from humorous, narratives ("Adopduction") to intriguing metaphors ("Crawling Can be Beautiful"). In "Pills", Harrington spouts, "they're scared of the silence / but be scared-er of the sound / hearts are not only beating / they are all counting down / you're not ready for disorder / you're not ready for decay."

Go Forth has few serious faults, yet isn't a total winner. It has some great moments, and a share of weak moments. But overall, the album satisfies, and if you just so happen to be in the mood, will provide you and your loved one a sanctum to dream your night away together...

1. Tragic Monsters
2. Reprobate's Resumé
3. Crawling Can Be Beautiful
4. Disco Drive
5. The Slip
6. Daily Dares
7. One to Three
8. Pills
9. Adopduction
10. No Sleeves
11. Bloom on Demand
12.

Rome (Written Upside Down) EP
Southern, 2000
rating: 4.5/5
reviewer: mr p


Les Savy Fav's latest post-punk offering is a little different from their previous work, yet the key elements that ripped holes through your soul in The Cat and the Cobra and 3/5 managed to survive.

Rome (Written Upside Down) is their first attempt recording since the disappearance of their second guitarist, Gibb Slife. You would think losing a guitarist would hinder the spirit of a band, but Les Savy Fav is not the type of band to shed tears. Although the second guitar is noticeably missing, Les Savy Fav now had the proper ingredients to create a less cluttered and more dynamic EP. Various keyboard parts and studio effects replace the absent guitar and provides for a different feel than the typical Les Savy Fav.

It is easier to distinguish the instruments with the second guitar missing. The drums are thick and in-your-face and the guitar and bass are more prominent than before. Tim Harrington's raspy vocals slice through the intense driving music and displays growth since Cat and the Cobra. Sometimes it sounds a bit separated, but the music is still as strong as ever "I.C. Timer" sets the appropriate mood of the album, while "Asleeper's Union" gives us insight into the band's maturity.

Clocking in at under 20 minutes, these five songs present you with a stunning array of dynamics, unique chord progressions, and complex time signatures. The raw production of the album ignites the album even further. You can feel Les Savy Fav's intensity which was sometimes harder to feel in the past.

Yes, this album is merely baby steps from their earlier works, but Les Savy Fav have still managed to create a moving record that will provide the beginning of the bridge from post-punk to post-post-punk. Think of this album as Les Savy Fav with less teeth, but the teeth they have left provide for a meaner, more influential bite.

1. I.C. Timer
2. Asleepers Union
3. In These Woods
4. Hide Me from Next February
5. Rome