CHARMING NOISE | SAVAGES

Before I can even say anything about Savages, a band that I am extremely excited about, I think it's best to state their philosophy:

"SAVAGES' INTENTION IS TO CREATE A SOUND, INDESTRUCTIBLE, MUSICALLY SOLID, WRITTEN FOR THE STAGE AND DESIGNED WITH ENOUGH NUANCES TO PROVIDE A WIDE RANGE OF EMOTIONS. SAVAGES ARE A SELF-AFFIRMING VOICE TO HELP EXPERIENCE OUR GIRLFRIENDS DIFFERENTLY, OUR HUSBANDS, OUR JOBS, OUR EROTIC LIFE, AND THE PLACE MUSIC OCCUPIES INTO OUR LIVES. SAVAGES' SONGS AIM TO REMIND US THAT HUMAN BEINGS HAVEN'T EVOLVED SO MUCH, THAT MUSIC CAN STILL BE STRAIGHT TO THE POINT, EFFICIENT AND EXCITING."

Amazing, right? It seems crazy that a band taking such a straighforward approach to how we consume music is somehow so novel. When did we lose this visceral response to music? The most basic reaction—to just feel the music, and leave it at that. No posturing, no judgement, just a basic emotional response to the sound. I find this idea incredibly exciting. When you watch their performance in the video below, this philosophy totally comes together. You can't help but just sit and watch. Frontwoman Jehnny Beth has a stage prescence that immeditely brings to mind other mesmerizing post-punk greats like Ian Curtis and and Jon King. Like Curtis, she has an all-consuming intensity that commands you to watch. Savages' sound has an equal intensity, with bass and percussion at the forefront and Beth's voice constantly confronting the audience. Live, it all comes together surely leaving the audience breathless and exhilarated, as if they've come out of a brawl, miraculously unscathed. Needless to say, Savages will be at the top of my list to see at ACL 2013. Go buy their debut album now.