The New Music

“Root For Ruin”, which was set to be released September 14th, was released digitally on August 3rd due to the album leaking online in late July. As cheesed as the band was over the leak, (for proof, refer to their Twitter @lessavyfav) it has been great news for Les Savy Fav’s fans. And for a band whose success is entirely fan driven, that can’t totally be a bad thing. Since forming in Providence, Rhode Island over a dozen years ago, Les Savy Fav has managed to evade mass appeal and maintain their independence. They have accomplished something that most indie musicians strive for; staying out of the mainstream, but still selling out every show.

“Root For Ruin” was released through bassist Syd Butler’s record label Frenchkiss Records and is Les Savy Fav’s fifth studio album. Having been a band since 1995, the now Brooklyn-based five-piece, as expected, has delivered a focused and memorable album. Thank goodness, because they have quite the reputation to live up to, with a superb previous album, “Let’s Stay Friends” (2007) and being known for backing up their tracks with wildly entertaining live performances. In fact lead singer, Tim Harrington, makes the band with his borderline-extreme on stage antics. Luckily, the caliber of their new songs should make for interesting material for Harrington’s live shows. The new tracks are beyond catchy and are characteristically abrasive.

To some extent, however, it follows the Les Savy Fav mold a little too closely. Not much in the album’s 11 tracks is very surprising. Each song adheres to the same aesthetics that their very first album did. Despite the slightly recycled sound, the familiarities of the songs which are reminiscent to old hits like “Patty Lee” off “Let’s Stay Friends”, is somewhat comforting.

The highest point of the album occurs right off the bat with a strong opener, “Appetites”. Exuding sexually charged emotions and self-confidence with lyrics like, “show us your teeth and show us your tits and show us the scars from the shit that you did,” the track serves a fantastic introduction. The track “Let’s Get Out Of Here” is a close second to “Appetites”. As their first single, it is an immediate reassurance that “Root For Ruin” can compete with previous material. The energetic track “Dirty Knails” is another highlight. The album ends with yet another hit in the form of “Clear Spirits”, leaving listeners with a feeling of satisfaction.

If there’s anything that “Root For Ruin” proves, it’s that without altering themselves, Les Savy Fav have the ability to remain relevant, even throughout years of shifting trends and fads. With powerful hooks, solid melodies and an aggressive attitude, their straightforward art-punk music has the potential to become timeless. It definitely is an album to download (legally, that is). Plus, once the album was leaked, the band themselves said, “Pay extra and you’re also forgiven for sex, sins and stuff AND we’ll tell Jesus to send you cookies.” Now that’s a deal.