diso2_1000x50

Les Savy Fav | Root for Ruin

Frenchkiss Records (2010)
By MICHAEL GRIMES  |  August 24, 2010
3.0 3.0 Stars

100savvy_1008

Les Savy Fav's fifth studio album finds the veteran Brooklyn quintet further channeling the gonzo energy of their live show, and with winning results. The only thing missing is a shirtless Tim Harrington blitzing your speakers wearing little more than a cold-cream mask and a shower cap.

Which is to say that the band's carnal immediacy remains intact and is even given some space to breathe by producer/engineer Chris Zane (who previously achieved a similar smoky one-take vibe on the Walkmen's You & Me). Les Savy Fav have always defined visceral, and the interplay between Syd Butler's saturated bass and the dueling leads of Harrington's gruff vocals and Seth Jabour's propulsively melodic guitar lines makes for some anthemic moments (à la standout single "Let's Get Out of Here").

As far as party albums go, on the other hand, this one's pretty dark. Themes of alienation, self-depreciation, and illicit and unrequited lust abound ("Lips N' Stuff" and "High and Unhinged"), shit burns everywhere, cities are vacuous shells ("Sleepless in Silverlake"), and salvation is ambiguous. What's certain is that Les Savy Fav sound giddy to be on the fringes. Why else would they be rooting for ruin?

Related: The Big Hurt: Faces refaced, Trans Am | What Day Is It Tonight? Trans Am Live, 1993 - 2008, Various Artists | Panama! 3, More more >
  Topics: CD Reviews , Entertainment, Music, Les Savy Fav,  More more >
| More


Most Popular
Blogs
Lena Dunham’s risky book deal
Phlog  |  October 12, 2012 at 3:43 PM
Q&A #7: Brown Or Warren
Talking Politics  |  October 12, 2012 at 1:00 PM
Q&A #6: Devaney Challenge
October 12, 2012 at 12:53 PM
Free Fun Shit: Oct 12-18: Food Truck Throwdown, Maker Faire, GDGT tech showcase, Kerouac lit fest, new night @ ZuZu + more
Phlog  |  October 12, 2012 at 11:45 AM
Monica Castillo at NYFF, 2
Outside The Frame  |  October 12, 2012 at 11:14 AM
 More: Phlog  |  Music  |  Film  |  Books  |  Politics  |  Media  |  Election '08  |  Free Speech  |  All Blogs
ARTICLES BY MICHAEL GRIMES
Share this entry with Delicious
  •   WOMEN | PUBLIC STRAIN  |  September 30, 2010
    For their sophomore effort, Women returned to the same Calgary studio that had birthed their 2008 debut, the basement of fellow musician/neighbor Chad Van Gaalen.
  •   THE WALKMEN REFUSE TO BREAK STRIDE  |  September 28, 2010
    "My lord, where's the satisfaction? It's all uphill for me," croons Hamilton Leithauser in "Victory," a standout track from the Walkmen's new Lisbon (Fat Possum), and a perfect example of the sort of musty and swelling anthems the New York band — who come to Royale next Thursday — have mastered over the past decade.
  •   LES SAVY FAV | ROOT FOR RUIN  |  August 24, 2010
    Les Savy Fav's fifth studio album finds the veteran Brooklyn quintet further channeling the gonzo energy of their live show, and with winning results.

 See all articles by: MICHAEL GRIMES