Savages | ||
| Allmusic Biography : The all-female post-punk four-piece Savages recall the tenacity and more artistic movements of Londons punk heyday with their blistering sound and noisy guitars. Hailing from the English capital, they formed at the end of 2011 after guitarist Gemma Thompson and singer Camille Berthomier -- known as Jehnny Beth -- had procrastinated over a name and starting a band until they eventually settled on Savages and set to work writing songs. Soon after, Ayse Hassan joined on bass and Fay Milton completed the lineup on drums. Soon after their formation, Savages performed their first show in January 2012, supporting rock outfit British Sea Power. They were then picked up by Sigur Rós manager John Best and released a double-A-side single, Flying to Berlin/Husbands, through indie label Pop Noir. The single attracted attention from various music publications, where they were favorably compared to luminaries Public Image Ltd., Siouxsie and the Banshees, and PJ Harvey. Further raucous live performances ignited the bands rise, with a successful appearance at the New York-based CMJ Music Marathon and on Later...With Jools Holland in the U.K. A whirlwind year was capped off with the quartets nomination for the BBC Sound of 2013 award. Another single, I Am Here, was also released in 2012, and Savages partnered with Matador Records to release their debut album, Silence Yourself, in May 2013. The band followed it up with their 2016 release Adore Life, which drew comparison to Swans, Soundgarden, and once again, PJ Harvey. Alongside recording this second record, the tail-end of 2015 and start of 2016 proved to be a busy time for the group as frontwoman Jehnny Beth recorded with Julian Casablancas of the Strokes and the band covered Eagles of Death Metal in the wake of the November 2015 Paris terror attacks. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 5 Title: I Am Here Released: 2012-10-22 Tracks: 4 Duration: 14:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 City’s Full (03:44) 2 Give Me a Gun (04:00) 3 I Am Here (03:38) 4 Husbands (03:27) |
 | Album: 2 of 5 Title: Silence Yourself Released: 2013-05-06 Tracks: 11 Duration: 38:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Shut Up (04:48) 2 I Am Here (03:20) 3 City’s Full (03:27) 4 Strife (03:57) 5 Waiting for a Sign (05:25) 6 Dead Nature (02:06) 7 She Will (03:27) 8 No Face (03:35) 9 Hit Me (01:41) 10 Husbands (02:50) 11 Marshal Dear (04:03) |
| Silence Yourself : Allmusic album Review : Plenty of bands have resuscitated post-punk throughout the 2000s and 2010s, but few have done so with the passion that reverberates through Savages debut album, Silence Yourself. The bands early singles drew favorable comparisons to Patti Smith, Siouxsie Sioux, and a host of other strong female acts with post-punk roots, and the entire album burns with the same kind of confrontational fire those older artists had -- which, somewhat paradoxically, makes Savages sound particularly refreshing compared to many of their more blasé contemporaries. Yet Silence Yourself is also an emphatic declaration of independence that is reflected in the bands approach to making music -- they paid to make it with their own money and splashed their manifesto on the cover -- as well as in the actual music. Since Sleater-Kinneys dissolution, powerful all-female bands have been few and far between in indie rock, and theres nothing wispy, precious, or coy about Savages on these songs. Their music is pointedly undecorative, particularly on tracks like "No Face," a searing three-and-a-half-minute showcase for what they do: singer Jehnny Beth leads the charge with her furious wail, and Ayse Hassan, Fay Milton, and Gemma Thompson do their best to keep up with her. Beth may be the bands lightning rod, but shes also a fairly versatile and evocative singer, moving from the feral, taunting "Husbands" to the ultra-gothy swoon of the closing torch song "Marshal Dear." At this point in their career, theres no escaping that Savages music owes a significant debt to their foremothers, but Silence Yourself is more than just a collection of touchstones and footnotes. Beth and crew have a riveting presence that makes each track magnetic, and more than a few songs here hint at how wide their musical scope actually is: "Strife" swaggers along at a self-assured pace, and follows the albums poppiest chorus with doom-laden chords suggesting that Savages may be (not so) secret metalheads, while "Hit Me"s breakneck pace nods to hardcore. Even their more traditionally post-punk tracks like "She Will" reflect a viewpoint -- regarding the wilder parts of female sexuality in this case -- that is unique. Given that much of the initial buzz about the band revolved around its electrifying live performances, in some ways Silence Yourself doesnt provide the full Savages experience, but it offers more than enough to make it a powerful debut that suggests theyll become an even more distinctive force to be reckoned with over time. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 5 Title: Words to the Blind Released: 2014-11-17 Tracks: 1 Duration: 37:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Words to the Blind (37:33) |
 | Album: 4 of 5 Title: In What Im Seeing; The Sun Released: 2015-10-18 Tracks: 2 Duration: 00:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 In What Im Seeing; The Sun (?) 2 Mechanics (?) |
 | Album: 5 of 5 Title: Adore Life Released: 2016-01-22 Tracks: 10 Duration: 39:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Answer (03:30) 2 Evil (03:36) 3 Sad Person (03:48) 4 Adore (05:03) 5 Slowing Down the World (04:00) 6 I Need Something New (04:38) 7 When in Love (03:10) 8 Surrender (03:24) 9 T.I.W.Y.G. (03:08) 10 Mechanics (05:08) |
| Adore Life : Allmusic album Review : On Silence Yourself, Savages passion burned so brightly it seemed like it might consume itself before they could record a second album. Fortunately, Adore Life proves that the band not only has the endurance to return, but the finesse to come back better than ever. Jehnny Beth and company sound as bold as they did on their debut, but with a newfound precision that only makes their impact more powerful. Adore Life depicts loves most fearsome and joyous sides with a hunger that feels like these songs are really about devouring and being devoured. The churning opener "The Answer" boils relationships down to the plainest ultimatum possible: "If you dont love me/Dont love anybody." Yet its "Adore" that provides the albums stunning heart. Equal parts torch song and manifesto, it channels impatient desire via a low-slung, swaggering tempo and only explodes in its final moments in an expression of just how instinctual, and undeniable the need for love is. Silence Yourselfs "Marshall Dear" explored similar territory, but on this song and throughout Adore Life, Savages sound more masterful and more natural. They effortlessly demand or seduce attention from their listeners as they see fit, opting for the former approach on the seething "I Need Something New," the latter on the meditative "Slowing Down the World," and skillfully combining the two on "TIWYG," where tough, lean verses and wildfire guitars give way to a psychedelic bridge. Similarly, where Silence Yourselfs ferocity sometimes felt like a barrier, their emotional range is far greater on Adore Life. Savages show they have a sense of humor, and can use it just as formidably as their more expected moods: "Im not gonna hurt you/Cuz Im flirting with you," Beth sneers on "Sad Person," a moment of mischief that doesnt detract from the feeling that flirting with her might be a little like being hunted. Similarly, when she mutters "I hate your taste in music" on "When in Love," it humanizes the beauty and terror of succumbing to powerful feelings, if only briefly. A striking second album, the different perspectives Adore Life bring to Savages music make them sound more vital than ever. | ||