Les Savy Fav - Root for Ruin

Sound-a-likes: Franz Ferdinand, Tapes 'n Tapes, Tokyo Police Club, Japandroids, The Futureheads, Bloc Party, Royal Bangs

That's a pretty attractive set of sound-a-likes up there, isn't it? I'd say Root for Ruin is a healthy balance of the elements that bring those bands together; simple but engaging melodies, angry lyrics that are on the verge of being yelled at times, a quick pace to most songs, overlapping/spacey guitars, and shuffling drums that move the songs along. In a few words, simple, flat indie punk rock. But there's something so irresistibly catchy about that combo that makes listening to just a fragment of a song without getting hooked very hard.

Basically, Root for Ruin is very appealing to lovers of this type of music and to relative newcomers to Les Savy Fav (like me), but it's not the 3-dimensional record that hardcore fans of this band might have been hoping for.



-Julian

Julian/Owen's Favorite Albums

Here's a somewhat long list of albums we love the most. We might add a couple over time. Feel free to comment and tell us yours!

The Apples in Stereo - Tone Soul Evolution
Andrew Bird - Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs
Arcade Fire - Funeral
The Beatles - Sgt. Peppers'/Revolver
Beck - Midnite Vultures
Belle & Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister/Dear Catastrophe Waitress
Ben Folds Five - Whatever & Ever Amen
Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde
Bob Marley and The Wailers - Legend
Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People
Built to Spill - Perfect From Now On
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Coldplay - Parachutes/A Rush of Blood to the Head
Cut Copy - Bright Like Neon Love
Death Cab - Transatlanticism/The Photo Album
Elliott Smith - XO
Elvis Costello - Imperial Bedroom
The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin/Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
The Jesus & Mary Chain - Psychocandy
The Morning Benders - Big Echo
Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Nick Drake - Bryter Layter
The Octopus Project - Hello, Avalanche
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon/Meddle
Radiohead - The Bends/OK Computer/In Rainbows
Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line
Ron Sexsmith - Time Being
The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
The Smiths - The Smiths/The Queen is Dead
Snow Patrol - Final Straw
Stars - Set Yourself On Fire
Tapes 'n Tapes - The Loon
U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
The xx - xx

-Julian/Owen