Les Savy Fav - Let’s Stay Friends
It is a recurring problem with reviews of ‘alternative’ bands that they reference a selection of even obscurer bands than the subject so that only those with an intimate knowledge of the genre will be able to really understand the review. Les Savy Fav are no different - the band name itself seems to ooze pretension, and citing a long list of ‘90s American indie and punk influences seems only natural.
But Les Savy Fav try harder than most not to be pigeon holed as just another in the long line of American indie punk bands. They have combined their art rock and hard punk backgrounds to create an album that sounds not all too dissimilar from some of the most popular current British post-punk bands such as Bloc Party and Foals - especially in standout track ‘Patty Lee’.
But there also seems an urgent need to experiment with different sounds, an urgency expressed through the somewhat abrupt way some songs end, as if the band just cannot wait to play the next song. Although this experimentation hooks the listeners, it’s in the straightforward punk of ‘The Equestrian’ and ‘Raging in the Plague Age’ that they seem most at home.
Altogether Les Savy Fav have made a very strong album that should have broad appeal to anyone who is a fan of un-pretentious indie punk rock.
