New York rockers Les Savy Fav are heading to Komedia on November 15th, and if Root For Ruin is anything to go by, you won't want to miss them.After 15 years of intense live shows and critically-acclaimed recordings, it seems as though it the might finally be the indie rock quintet's time in the spotlight.
Following on from the relative success of 2005's Let's Stay Friends (which saw track "Raging in the Plague Age" appear on Grand Theft Auto IV), their latest album is a blistering ride that'll kick you in the teeth and break your heart at the same time; no small feat.
The lead singer Tim Harrington is a topless, bearded force of nature in the flesh, and it's reassuring to see his raw power captured so effectively on opener "Appetites"; if fans were concerned by rumours of a split before …Friends, then the barked refrain of "We've still got our appetite!" is a declaration of intent if there ever was one.
To have one talented guitarist could be considered a stroke of luck, but in Seth Jabour and Andrew Reuland, Les Favy Fav have two gifted musicians whose layered melodies are a joy to behold, particularly on "Dirty Knails". Other highlights include "High And Unhinged", a bittersweet rebuttal to hipsters from "the bottom of a barrel", and "Let's Get Out Of Here", a radio-friendly stomper that should should see audiences swooning to Harrington's come-on lines.
One minor quibble is that when a couple of the tracks don't quite measure up ("Sleepless In Silverlake" is a main offender), the dip is at odds with the album's frenetic quality. However, it's impossible not to get swept along by Root For Ruin's heartfelt intensity; Harrington wants to dance with you, sing to you, and sleep with you all at the same time, and when he's in this kind of form, it'd be hard to resist.
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