It is already here! One of the releases that I have been anticipating the most for 2016 comes in the first month of the year. The follow up to Savages’ masterful debut is called Adore Life and they blew the door straight off it’s hinges with this one. Much has been made of the band’s rapid rise after Silence Yourself, as well as their opinions about how crowds should behave at their shows. Personally, I never concerned myself with how the band was perceived because of the audience direction. I did love the manifesto that they put out surrounding Silence Yourself, which addressed how to experience their music. Actually, I think it still applies so I want to put it right here for those that don’t know:
SAVAGES MANIFESTO #2
SAVAGES is not trying to give you something you didn’t have already, it is calling within yourself something you buried ages ago, it is an attempt to reveal and reconnect your PHYSICAL and EMOTIONAL self and give you the urge to experience your life differently, your girlfriends, your husbands, your jobs, your erotic life and the place music occupies in your life. Because we must teach ourselves new ways of POSITIVE MANIPULATIONS, music and words are aiming to strike like lightning, like a punch in the face, a determination to understand the WILL and DESIRES of the self. This album is to be played loud in the foreground.
Again, that was a manifesto from Silence Yourself era Savages. I don’t think that it is bound to that one release though. Adore Life is to be played loud in the foreground as well. If you are new to the band prepare to fall in love with Ayşe Hassan (bass), Fay Milton (drums), Gemma Thompson (guitar), and Jehnny Beth (vocals and lyrics). They are a band that has that ability to make the listener feel that they are receiving a direct transmission that was created specifically for them. Jehnny Beth’s words cut right into your gut and it is as if there is nobody in the room but you and the band. She communicates thoughts that you had stored in darker corners of your mind. Those thoughts were supposed to stay hidden because if they got out they would surely make you an outsider, right? No, you aren’t alone. It is OK to feel that way. Adore Life hammers home the idea that allowing yourself to be vulnerable ultimately allows you to become that much stronger at the end of the day. I think that people of all walks will relate to her powerful lyrics in their own personal way but everyone will be emotionally affected. After all, emotion is at the center of what Savages do.
That is just how the poetry of Adore Life affected me. In addition to everything the vocals/lyrics bring to the table the band is so damn good. I remember seeing Cathy Pellow (Sargent House) tweet about a few bands that she wishes she could have signed and Savages were at the top of that list. It is easy to see why. Pellow has excellent taste and it seems her bands all require a killer rhythm section, must be able to put on an excellent live show, and push the limits with creativity. Savages definitely mastered each of those points and then some. Adore Life is mostly full of tracks that pummel your brain and rattle your bones. My body is definitely in tune with what Savages are doing and they make me want to dance around my house while drinking wine. Even with the slower burners my body stays in motion. Swaying back and forth and nodding yes to everything Jehnny Beth is saying. I am extremely excited that they are going to be a part of Sasquatch! Music Festival this Memorial Day weekend. I will be up front and center to feel these new songs come to life in front of my eyeballs. CANNOT WAIT.
2015 was a year full of incredible music. With the way that 2016 is starting out it looks like we are all in store for another fantastic musical adventure.
Rating: 5/5
Adore Life’s release date is 1/22/2016. You can buy a copy from Matador Records over here –> Savages – Adore Life