Les Savy Fav: Classic or Dud

lots of indie rock lifer stuff in here but not as corny springsteen as hold steady's

i really kind of hated 'let's stay friends' and am therefore quite apprehensive about this new one. evan's observations upthread, and the similarities he notes between the songwriting approach on each album tends to exacerbate my concerns. after giving it a fair old chance i just found LSF really flat, and the songs i preferred were in fact the duets, largely being due to to the input of the guest musicians. i still really love the band and will give the new album a good listen in the hope that i find something to connect with.

I think you're going to be really pleasantly surprised by this one, Charlie. Even if the songwriting is more Let's Stay Friends, the approach is more 3/5—very direct. Harrington has just replaced the flights of fantasy with more human concerns.

like...maybe this is their best album? (honestly)

wow, excited

i really disagree w/the pitchfork review of this

in what way?

they knock sleepless in silverlake and let's get out of here for killing the momentum but i like those songs....and they don't like "calm down" which i really like, the chords are kinda propulsive to me...overall i just really like the album, the songs, the pacing, etc....

like i understand it's les savy fav being les savy fav, but i think the songs are good and frankly they are a band i kinda expect to sound a certain way....

Surprised by how tepid most of the reviews have been of this one. Maybe I'm blinded by being a fan, but I don't think this is just more of the same; I think it advances the band's songwriting in some really satisfying ways.

After listening to it for a few weeks, I'm not into it as much as their other albums. The production's a little thin and the whole thing just feels kind of insubstantial? I definitely prefer the poppier/slower/spacier songs like Sleepless in Silverlake and Let's Get Out of Here. Some of the punkier songs, like Excess Energies, don't really work for me. Really prefer the first half of the album to the second. Overall, it's a good album but a relative disappointment after Let's Stay Friends (which I love).

also can't believe ILM has gone this long without commenting on the Silver Jews quote in "Appetites"

ha I put the album on after posting the above and listened to the whole thing and it sounds pretty dang good now ... maybe it's growing on me

in hindsight "root for ruin" was a disappointment. not a big disappointment, since I feel like most LSF albums are flawed - the live experience is so much better that most of the recorded output pales in comparison. but it was disappointing following "let's stay friends" which imo is their best album so far (ie the EP and the singles collection don't count). anyways "root for ruin" isn't bad - it's kind of fun while you're listening to it - but I never feel compelled to listen to it.

otm

Thirded, sadly. I still really enjoy this record and think it was way underrated, but it really does suffer badly when compared to Let's Stay Friends, which was definitely the more interesting album.

Maybe it's just the version I downloaded, but this sucker is LOUD. Always have to be on guard when a song comes up on shuffle.

Really enjoying this record right now. It's a bit understated but it's got some great hooks, and I just love the propulsive bass.

their amazing performance of "Patty Lee" on Conan appears to have completely disappeared from the internet

It is back up!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXoE6l-AK3c

Pumped for seeing these guys at Primavera (assuming that goes ahead)

early 90s had the underappreciated GBV, early 00s had the underappreciated LSF