Les Savy Fav
(rome written upside down)
Southern
The first thing to blast out of (rome written upside down) is a giant blast of nostalgia – “I.C Timer” sounds like a raw Brainiac track. That’s not surprising, since Brainiac guitarist John Shmersal filled in for departed Gibb Slife on a tour last fall. Tightly-gripped picks and bubbling synth riffs around dead-on drumming is tasty any time of day.
Nonetheless, Les Savy Fav are talented enough to outlast that one track and produce four more tracks displaying a lot of individuality. “Hide Me From February” is an aggressive screamer with a sparse drum, bass and guitar reminiscent of Gang of Four. And the title track, tacked at the end, has tons of spiky buildups and majestic conclusions. All hail Les Savy Fav!
Southern Records, P.O. Box 577375, Chicago, IL 60657; http://www.southern.com
