Taste the new Savy

By Erin Szrankowski
Collegian Reporter
October 3, 2007

Initially, I was very excited for Let’s Stay Friends, the new Les Savy Fav’s new record, to hit the local record stores. The band is known for it’s intense live shows, which I have not yet seen but have heard a lot of. This is Les Savy Fav’s (pronounced, “lay sah-vee favh”) fourth full-length LP in six years. In 2005, the band went on hiatus, promising it’s return in the near future. The members did a few concerts in between the hiatus and Let’s Stay Friends. For the most part, nothing has really changed within the band’s musical structure; this style still does not deter loyal fans. The indie-dance punk attributes are still adamantly present throughout the entire album—bringing the noise and leaving the prissy stuff at home.

LSF’s MySpace said, “The idea for this new record was to take time with it to make it perfect.” It took an entire year to record and produce. Some tracks on the album feature rather noteworthy musicians like Emily Haines from Metric and Nicholas Thorburn from The Unicorns. These pairings brought together musicians of different musical backgrounds, adding a certain je ne sais quoi to the recordings.

Let’s Stay Friends begins with “Pots and Pans,” in which the people apparently say, “No, no, no,” and the drummer says, “Yes, yes, yes.” It is a calm approach in starting off this album; nevertheless it is a solid song.

One of the most energetic and raw songs on the album is “The Equestrian.” Tim Harrington’s aggressive vocals lash through a pounding drum kit and bruising guitars. This song is the definitive Les Savy Fav piece. On a recent side note, there was a video contest for this song and the winner was Bunny, a little five-ish-year-old girl. This winning video features her singing along with her stuffed animal band.

“What Would Wolves Do” intertwines new age and punk to form a suitably good punk dance track. I found “Brace Yourself” to be a spacey and tired-sounding song talking about beginnings of random nothings. The band makes up for this lack of vigor by the great pairing of Eleanor Friedberger (of The Fiery Furnaces) and Harrington in “Comes and Goes.” Her feminine voice brings a sensitive edge, making the song more indie pop than rock. Let’s Stay Friends ends with the conclusion that Les Savy Fav is back and is still as solid as ever. With their return, the band members give needed and established energy to the music out today.

jaene1@lasalle.edu