Author Topic: Les Savy Fav- Let's Stay Friends  (Read 554 times)

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GilloD

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Les Savy Fav- Let's Stay Friends
« on: September 25, 2007, 08:39:06 PM »
Anyone else given it a spin? It's pretty serious best of '07 material from the band who have easily assumed best of millenium status. I think a lot of people had some pretty serious doubts about whether LSF could put together another album that built on their schizophrenic back catalog but they do it beautifully. It's still idiosyncratic, deeply anxious and excited, but manages to cite every major musical cliche of the moment without ever getting tired. The New Order-y, coke party ready "What Would Wolves Do?" is a pretty standout track. "Patty Lee" is possibly the best song they've ever written, the equivalent of a Crackity Jones; That is, everyone doing the thing they do best. Sid Butler's got those winding, booty-shake bass lines down to an art, the guitars are as ready to pull a switchblade as ever. And Tim Harrington, who's always been at risk of coming off as a one trick pony, pulls out some great vocal stunts. Far from the all-howl-palooza of Go Forth, he actually croons in a few places but sounds as bitter and savage as he did 6 years ago. And Scotchguard the Credit Card is the greatest fist pumping anthem since, well, Bringing Us Down, whose adolescent war-games lyrcism is a great live standout.

Really, it's a lovely album full of new directions that manages to be a Les Savy Fav album and not be redundant. Delicious.
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GilloD

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Re: Les Savy Fav- Let's Stay Friends
« Reply #1 on: September 25, 2007, 08:44:56 PM »
Oh, for a band known for it's wild live shows and la-la living, Scotchguard the Credit Card has a great message for hipster-youth: "You're god-damned right I resent the rent/Not just the leases orthe money spent/But the way it keeps us from the present tense/Won't someone meet in the present tense?". Fiscal responsibility motherfuckers!
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TVC15

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Re: Les Savy Fav- Let's Stay Friends
« Reply #2 on: September 25, 2007, 08:50:05 PM »
Hmmm, to be honest, Inches was the only thing I totally loved by this band.  They have other good material, but most of it is kind of middle-of-the-road compared to Inches. 

How does this compare?  I mean I really like Inches, too.  Like one of my favorite records of recent years.
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GilloD

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Re: Les Savy Fav- Let's Stay Friends
« Reply #3 on: September 26, 2007, 11:14:25 AM »
I'm with TVC here. Inches rocked, but I didn't get into Let's Stay Friends anywhere near as much.

Really? I think Let's Stay Friends is way ahead of Inches. I think TVC would like the record if only because Inches was more a record than Rome Upside Down or Go Forth, if that makes sense. They were kind of sonic showcases, little three minute chunks of snarling, angular post-punk.  Inches and Let's Stay Friends both sound more like "records" to me, melodic and united sonically. Which is strange given that Inches was a mish-mash collection of singles, but they came from a relatively tight time span, at least.
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