Derry legends Jetplane Landing once posed the question “Why do they never play Les Savy Fav on the radio, the only punk band left in America”? Well, if there is any justice in the world, that might be something that happens with the New York band’s sixth album entitled Oui, LSF. Around that time, I invested in a Les Savy Fav album, but I must somewhat shamefully admit I didn’t engage with the band much after. Their last recorded output was 2010’s Root For Ruin. It wasn’t the band’s intent to record a new album, but some live shows got them into the creative space, and here we are with 14 glorious new tunes to marvel at. Since that last album the band have been busy getting on with other things and gradually getting older, as Syd Butler bluntly points out “There’s nothing like hitting 50 to slap the cocksure vanity off your face”.
Things shape up nicely with opening track ‘Guzzle Blood’ which grinds a taut groove using a wailing siren sound as it’s driving force. Butler’s bass is just downright filthy as vocalist Tim Harrington spins out a chant challenging higher powers with outright petulance. ‘Limo Scene’ teases out glorious angular guitar lines over an insistent bass groove. It’s playful and boisterous despite being made by men well beyond their formative years. A snarling guitar strains at the leash in ‘Void Moon’ which has some wonderful soaring backing vocals, like prime Pixies. It’s itchier than a dog plagued with fleas.
There’s a shimmering guitar line running through ‘Mischief Night’ that hints towards the glorious chorus but when it drops, it’s a moment of spine-tingling wonder. It’s incredible how such off-kilter guitar lines hold together a song and become the focal melody part during the gobby verses. The oddly titled ‘What We Don’t Don’t Want’ adds a darting little saxophone to enhance the kaleidoscope of guitars. There’s so much going on that repeat plays reward with new idiosyncrasies. Then ‘Legendary Tippers’ really takes things up a level in the kook factor with a wired vocal delivery from Harrington. The bragging chorus of “I’m doing it, I’m doing it, I’m doing it well!” at odds with the fragility of his voice, it’s as if he’s trying to convince himself.
‘Dawn Patrol’ makes you really wonder what the writing process for this album was. The weirdly obtuse guitar line that warbles through the song sounds lost and throwaway. A spoken word vocal is all tenderness and leaves Harrington sounding vulnerable. ‘Somebody Need a Hug’ showcases Les Savy Fav’s way with snappy addictive melodies. The guitars ring out glorious melodies too, it’s like trying to entrap a rainbow in a bucket trying to catch them all.
The brief interlude ‘Racing Bees’ features some tingling guitars then things get very sentimental on the tender ballad ‘Don’t Mind Me’. Harrington teeters on the brink of breakdown and the anguished wail that constitutes the chorus is heart breaking. ‘Oi! Division’ shatters the quiet with a blistering choppy groove with searing guitars like buzz saws. The aptly named ‘Barbs’ throws out some spiky guitar riffs that are razor sharp. The cute break in the middle is a cheeky wee nod to Blondie with the “dreamin, dreaming of you” part aping one of their hits. ‘Nihilists’ is a clever percussion driven song that’s one part Flaming Lips, one-part drunk Blur. Then ‘World Got Great’ closes out the album with a bang with some acerbic guitars and thunderous drums. Harrington optimistically declares “We were there when the world got great, we helped to make it that way!” and you are left with such a triumphant feeling. This album sure does strange things to the listener.
The last time I felt this way about an album was Doolittle. That’s some mighty praise to be heaping onto an album, but Oui, LSF hits spots that nobody else ever dares to. There’s something of a shock value to hearing guitars get treated in this way. The rhythm section is so tight that it brings the whole sound into a very sharp focus. I daresay splitting out the tracks on this album to listen to each one on it’s own would sound like the work of madmen, but combined, it makes for an incredible whole. From out of nowhere, Les Savy Fav have created an astonishingly colourful album that blasts deep into the quarry on ideas mountain.
