"Inside the outer loop / Under the overpass / Some are built to subsist / Some are built to surmise..."
The vast artful post punk bewilderment of "American Vernacular" by Brooklyn's shapeshifting alt rock outfit SAVAK, and from their new album SQUAWK! on Ernest Jenning Record Co. / Peculiar Works Music, feels uniquely subversive casting hazy imagery through old pitted windows. The storytelling, the evocative sounds riding on percolating bass notes, subtle / bold drum percussion, jangly guitar notes and tribal growls worthy of a Maori warrior dance feels as darkly drawn as it does artful. All this and when the singing starts I somehow thought of 60's folk and OG indie rock and punk like an amalgam of Simon and Garfunkel, Guided By Voices, Lazy Cowgirls. The words are brief but somehow bite and leave impressions in the skin.
"Inside the outer loop
Under the overpass
Some are built to subsist
Some are built to surmise
We’re all built to exist
But are we built to survive
Outside the violence
Above the stupidity
Of this American vernacular
Always talking
Rarely spectacular
It’s just American vernacular"
Under the overpass
Some are built to subsist
Some are built to surmise
We’re all built to exist
But are we built to survive
Outside the violence
Above the stupidity
Of this American vernacular
Always talking
Rarely spectacular
It’s just American vernacular"
The rolling thunder of the song feels so telling even if us mere listeners might not hold the truths of the song or various seeds in between the lines. Listen on repeat and you might imagine a movie about survivorship against really bad actors. Good being squashed by evil men but winning in an uncertain end.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5IIUFEaUTPf24HioSMge9v
https://www.instagram.com/savakband/
https://www.facebook.com/savakband
From the desk of Will Fitzpatrick, 39th* bass player for The Rock Group SAVAK
Lucky for some - it’s seventh album time for Brooklyn’s finest sons, the mighty SAVAK! Sohrab Habibion, Michael Jaworski and Matt Schulz have been fighting the good fight together since 2015, accompanied by a veritable cascade of bassists, saxophonists and second drummers. Of course, they’ve been sending missives from punk rock’s front line for much longer, having served in the likes of Obits, The Cops, Holy Fuck, Edsel, Virgin Islands, Enon and more. Still, what better way to celebrate a decade in each other’s company than by releasing their best album yet?
OK, I've routinely greeted every new SAVAK album with 'this one might be their best', but the trajectory continues. The assertively-titled SQUAWK! shows SAVAK throwing a lot of new ideas at the wall, expanding on the masterful concoction of post-punk, melodically collegiate jangle and intelligent esoterica that makes up their body of work prior to this… and all of those new ideas have stuck. Trust me, as someone who had to learn the work of 38* prior bassists for a UK tour, when I say that these songs don’t fuck around.
Let’s start at the beginning. “The Moon Over Marine Park” opens things up in style, building from undulating bass intervals into spoken word verses and a strident, instantly arresting hook. “Article, object, artifact,” intones Habibion, shortly before chiming guitars pile up - classic SAVAK, setting the tone in enticing and thoroughly intriguing fashion.
It’s followed by the soaring “Child’s Pose,” which rides a gloriously garage-punk verse before exploding into a typically classic Jaworski pop chorus (let the records show that I believe Mikey Jaws to be Clint Conley to Sohrab’s Roger Miller). That previously featured on a UK tour flexi disc alongside “Talk To Some People,” which also follows here and sees Habibion immediately setting out to disprove my Mission of Burma analogy by repeating the pop trick. Results? Equally exquisite.
Next up is “No Man's Island,”’ which is possibly the closest the 'VAK has ever gotten to a Lou Reed/Velvets vibe, with an already-memorable chorus bolstered superbly by guest vocals from Tanisha Badman of West Yorkshire fuzz-punkers Goo. But if that feels like new territory for the band, just wait until “American Vernacular” hits - it’s a vibe, as the kids would have it. Ambient, borderline Eno drones go up against a rising drum pattern and a synapse-silencing air of mystery to provide a perfect breather at the album’s midway point.
Side two kicks off here, so let’s cut to the chase and say that “Casual Cruelty” is so fuckin’ purposeful. No dicking around, it just gets to the point effectively and rules outright in the process. The only way you could possibly follow it is by seemingly unearthing a lost R.E.M. classic, and luckily “Tomorrow And The Day After” seems to do precisely that by way of a lilting guitar line and some gorgeously Stipe-esque vocal melodies… all through a uniquely SAVAK filter, of course
Where can they go from here? How about a glam anthem? Verses to “Hitting Therapy” seem to summon the spirit of Mick Ronson before settling into something a little more restrained, with the band’s first documented use of slide guitar, before the thoroughly lovely “Your Mother Is A Mirror” guides us towards the finale through a mellotron haze. That’s Maria Marzaioli of the legendary Slum Of Legs providing further vibes on the fiddle there, fact fans!
What? The end already? Well, it’s always good to finish with a banger and “Empty Age” certainly bangs... albeit abstractly so. If Doug Gillard had rewritten Here Come The Warm Jets and the second side of Heroes for his own nefarious purposes, he might have come up with something this gleefully, wilfully wonderful, and if it seems like these records are heavy hitters to cite, please note that I don’t do so lightly. A hell of a way to close things out, by anyone’s standards.
Of course they couldn’t do this on their own, and a roll call of friends and compatriots all appear on The Best SAVAK Record Yet™, including longtime collaborators Matt Hunter on bass (Silver Jews, New Radiant Storm King) and Jeff Gensterblum on drums (Small Brown Bike, Coalesce). But what’s clear, thanks in particular to a dynamic mix by Travis Harrison (Guided By Voices, The Men), is that magic has been made here, and for listeners like you and me… it’s our giddy pleasure to savour it.
Tl;dr, yes I love this record. Another bona fide winner for a tremendous band, and another remarkable step forward in an increasingly fabulous oeuvre.
Yeah, I finished on the word “oeuvre.” What of it?
*approximate figures - The actual count of bass players to-date is 12 (please note that number may change by time of printing).
All previous and current bass players in SAVAK are / were:
Matt Hunter
Greg Simpson
Will Fitzpatrick
Geoff Sanoff
James Canty
Matthew Taylor
Peter Kerlin
Anthony Roman
Douglas McCombs
Nick Sewell
Matt McQuaid
Jed Marshall
Of the song, the band's Sohrab Habibion shares:
"American Vernacular" takes a look at modern cowboy culture in America and how it continues to permeate the presentation of identity, how we communicate, and our politics."
"American Vernacular" takes a look at modern cowboy culture in America and how it continues to permeate the presentation of identity, how we communicate, and our politics."
LINER NOTES (excerpted / bracketed)
[Brooklyn’s mighty SAVAK—featuring Sohrab Habibion, Michael Jaworski, and Matt Schulz—return with SQUAWK!, their seventh and most adventurous album yet. Formed in 2015 and forged through years in bands like Obits, Enon, and Holy F*ck, SAVAK continue to push post-punk boundaries with sharp hooks, thoughtful lyrics, and fearless experimentation.]
[Brooklyn’s mighty SAVAK—featuring Sohrab Habibion, Michael Jaworski, and Matt Schulz—return with SQUAWK!, their seventh and most adventurous album yet. Formed in 2015 and forged through years in bands like Obits, Enon, and Holy F*ck, SAVAK continue to push post-punk boundaries with sharp hooks, thoughtful lyrics, and fearless experimentation.]
[SQUAWK! sees the band expanding their signature mix of jagged riffs, melodic jangle, and left-field textures—think Mission of Burma meets early R.E.M. with a glam twist.]
I appreciate the vastness of this songs gaze. I will have to dive into "SQUAWK!" and based on the emotional / artful gravitas of "American Vernacular" I have a feeling I may walk away with mixed emotions but changed in some way and that is ultimately a great thing.
-Robb Donker Curtius
REMAINING TOUR DATES:
June 19th - Avalon - Catskill, NY
June 20th - Hamden, CT - Cellar on Treadwell
June 21st - Boston, MA - O’Brien’s
July 25th - Washington DC - Black Cat
July 26 - Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA - early show
July 26th - Philadelphia, PA - PhilaMOCA - late show - SOLD OUT
July 27th - Queens, NY - TV Eye
June 20th - Hamden, CT - Cellar on Treadwell
June 21st - Boston, MA - O’Brien’s
July 25th - Washington DC - Black Cat
July 26 - Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA - early show
July 26th - Philadelphia, PA - PhilaMOCA - late show - SOLD OUT
July 27th - Queens, NY - TV Eye
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5IIUFEaUTPf24HioSMge9v
https://www.instagram.com/savakband/
https://www.facebook.com/savakband
From the desk of Will Fitzpatrick, 39th* bass player for The Rock Group SAVAK
Lucky for some - it’s seventh album time for Brooklyn’s finest sons, the mighty SAVAK! Sohrab Habibion, Michael Jaworski and Matt Schulz have been fighting the good fight together since 2015, accompanied by a veritable cascade of bassists, saxophonists and second drummers. Of course, they’ve been sending missives from punk rock’s front line for much longer, having served in the likes of Obits, The Cops, Holy Fuck, Edsel, Virgin Islands, Enon and more. Still, what better way to celebrate a decade in each other’s company than by releasing their best album yet?
OK, I've routinely greeted every new SAVAK album with 'this one might be their best', but the trajectory continues. The assertively-titled SQUAWK! shows SAVAK throwing a lot of new ideas at the wall, expanding on the masterful concoction of post-punk, melodically collegiate jangle and intelligent esoterica that makes up their body of work prior to this… and all of those new ideas have stuck. Trust me, as someone who had to learn the work of 38* prior bassists for a UK tour, when I say that these songs don’t fuck around.
Let’s start at the beginning. “The Moon Over Marine Park” opens things up in style, building from undulating bass intervals into spoken word verses and a strident, instantly arresting hook. “Article, object, artifact,” intones Habibion, shortly before chiming guitars pile up - classic SAVAK, setting the tone in enticing and thoroughly intriguing fashion.
It’s followed by the soaring “Child’s Pose,” which rides a gloriously garage-punk verse before exploding into a typically classic Jaworski pop chorus (let the records show that I believe Mikey Jaws to be Clint Conley to Sohrab’s Roger Miller). That previously featured on a UK tour flexi disc alongside “Talk To Some People,” which also follows here and sees Habibion immediately setting out to disprove my Mission of Burma analogy by repeating the pop trick. Results? Equally exquisite.
Next up is “No Man's Island,”’ which is possibly the closest the 'VAK has ever gotten to a Lou Reed/Velvets vibe, with an already-memorable chorus bolstered superbly by guest vocals from Tanisha Badman of West Yorkshire fuzz-punkers Goo. But if that feels like new territory for the band, just wait until “American Vernacular” hits - it’s a vibe, as the kids would have it. Ambient, borderline Eno drones go up against a rising drum pattern and a synapse-silencing air of mystery to provide a perfect breather at the album’s midway point.
Side two kicks off here, so let’s cut to the chase and say that “Casual Cruelty” is so fuckin’ purposeful. No dicking around, it just gets to the point effectively and rules outright in the process. The only way you could possibly follow it is by seemingly unearthing a lost R.E.M. classic, and luckily “Tomorrow And The Day After” seems to do precisely that by way of a lilting guitar line and some gorgeously Stipe-esque vocal melodies… all through a uniquely SAVAK filter, of course
Where can they go from here? How about a glam anthem? Verses to “Hitting Therapy” seem to summon the spirit of Mick Ronson before settling into something a little more restrained, with the band’s first documented use of slide guitar, before the thoroughly lovely “Your Mother Is A Mirror” guides us towards the finale through a mellotron haze. That’s Maria Marzaioli of the legendary Slum Of Legs providing further vibes on the fiddle there, fact fans!
What? The end already? Well, it’s always good to finish with a banger and “Empty Age” certainly bangs... albeit abstractly so. If Doug Gillard had rewritten Here Come The Warm Jets and the second side of Heroes for his own nefarious purposes, he might have come up with something this gleefully, wilfully wonderful, and if it seems like these records are heavy hitters to cite, please note that I don’t do so lightly. A hell of a way to close things out, by anyone’s standards.
Of course they couldn’t do this on their own, and a roll call of friends and compatriots all appear on The Best SAVAK Record Yet™, including longtime collaborators Matt Hunter on bass (Silver Jews, New Radiant Storm King) and Jeff Gensterblum on drums (Small Brown Bike, Coalesce). But what’s clear, thanks in particular to a dynamic mix by Travis Harrison (Guided By Voices, The Men), is that magic has been made here, and for listeners like you and me… it’s our giddy pleasure to savour it.
Tl;dr, yes I love this record. Another bona fide winner for a tremendous band, and another remarkable step forward in an increasingly fabulous oeuvre.
Yeah, I finished on the word “oeuvre.” What of it?
*approximate figures - The actual count of bass players to-date is 12 (please note that number may change by time of printing).
All previous and current bass players in SAVAK are / were:
Matt Hunter
Greg Simpson
Will Fitzpatrick
Geoff Sanoff
James Canty
Matthew Taylor
Peter Kerlin
Anthony Roman
Douglas McCombs
Nick Sewell
Matt McQuaid
Jed Marshall
SAVAK, post punk, alt rock, politico punk, busker punk, indie rock, psychedelia, vast, vintage, prescient, "American Vernacular" (Official Video), new album "SQUAWK!", Ernest Jenning Record Co. / Peculiar Works Music,
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