Punk was a life saver when it came to injecting a breath of fresh air into an increasingly moribund music scene, a scene remorsely being watered down into AOR and MOR blandness. The mid 70s were generally pretty dire, but punk and in particular it's subsequent offspring – post-punk and new wave – injected a big shot in the arm, crucially allowing for less than technically gifted practitioners to pick up their instrument of choice and let their inner soul speak. The result was a golden age of creativity, whose influences run deep and long.
It was also at this time that women began to play a bigger role in a hitherto male dominated guitar scene. There were very rare exceptions of course (Suzi Quatro, The Runaways), but by and large a woman with a bass or an electric guitar slung over their shoulders, or brandishing a pair of drumsticks, was as rare as hen's teeth. Bands like The Slits were just as instrumental, as say The Clash, in changing attitudes, particularly of course with respect to gender politics.
Roll on 2013 and the release of Silence Yourself, by the all women Savages. Things had changed considerably since '77, but yet there are still too few women in rock (as opposed to dance, r'n'b or singer songwriters, of which there are plenty). Savages are very welcome. They are also welcome in the respect that they have things to say, and don't shy away from saying them. In lead singer, the pent up ball of energy that is Jehnny Beth, they have a startling focal point, that brilliantly feeds off the noisy, tight, moody and fiery grooves and rhythms of bassist Ay?e Hassan, drummer Fay Milton and guitarist Gemma Thompson.
Influenced by Siouxsie & the Banshees, and the rhythmic jaggedness and angularity of British post-punk, Savages raw music may be seen as a bit of a throwback to the late 70s, but it remains as relevant now as it did then. With Silence Yourself they came across as totally dedicated, as well as fully formed in music and image. Adore Life re-affirms that, albeit the aggression and anger on their debut, lyrically and musically, is toned down a notch or two, for a more thoughtful, moodier sound. And the mono imagery has given away here and there, to some colour…
From the ferocious looped like guitar of The Answer, Savages come straight out of the blocks, with the beginnings of what sounds like a loose concept album; love in all it's multifarious forms and emotions. About lovers, friends and people in general. "If you don't love me, you don't love anybody," sings Beth, aimed at some in particualr, and people in general. As she has said elsewhere: "… most of all it’s (the album) about love, every kind of love. Love is the answer."
Indeed it is, and always has been, for those pre-disposed to it. Since Lennon famously sang back in 1970, "Love is living, living love/Love is needing to be loved," nothing has changed, only the ways in expressing this most fundamental of feelings. While Lennon very effectively simplified things, Beth's approach is far more complicated and nuanced. And throughout the album, she rallies to clarify her thoughts and positions, about lovers, past and present, and the idea of love. All the while, the band play on, displaying a strong affinity with the post punk era – Siouxie Sioux, Patti Smith are obvious vocal reference points – with hints of Gang of Four, Magazine, Joy Division in the mix, along with occasionally arresting outbursts of heavier, hardcore and metal tones.
'Evil' has got that swinging post punk funk groove, hi-hats zipping, vaguely arabic guitar motifs, dirty, driving bass, the band gelling well as Beth does the repetition thing she often does, singing Evil Evil Evil Evil Evil Evil as if trying to shake off it's ever lurking presence. As she says in the album's note, "It's about claiming your right to think unacceptable thoughts." The driving Sad Person, like so many of Savages's songs, is underpinned by a meaty bass, in tandem with enveloping guitar effects and a rock solid beat. And then it's the album's lynchpin, Adore Life. Inspired by American poet Minnie Bruce Pratt, it re-affirms Beth's lust for life: "If I didn't want the world I wouldn't make you feel so sad…. Is it human to adore life? If only I'd hidden my lust. And starved a little bit more… I adore life. If only I'd lived beyond regret, I wouldn't feel guilt for when I take," again repeating the words I Adore Life towards the end on this atmospheric, almost balladic song.
Elsewhere, Slowing Down the World begins with the ascending and expanded sound of a guitar being plugged in, before bass, guitar and drums come in for a slowish groove, hinging as many of Savages songs do, on a melodious and repetitive bass. Gang of Four style beats, feedback noise, and simple bass notes eventually crescendo into a wall of noise. T.I.W.Y.G (this is what you get) is fast and furious, with an abrupt change of pace midway through, while final song Mechanics is a mildly brooding industry-rock soundscape, a counterpoint to the love infused lyrics.
Savage was an apt description of their first album, a superb document of youthful angst and anger, full of biting lyrics and dark music. This time around, they sound more grown up, as they combine the cathartic with the profound.
Jeff Hemmings
Read Our Interview with Savages here: brightonsfinest.com/html/index.php/9-articles/1221-savages-interview-2016
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