album review: savages, silence yourself
With Savages’ Silence Yourself, there is no wastage. There is no excess, nothing superfluous, nothing unnecessary. It’s obvious that this is the result of a very conscious decision. The album’s monochromatic artwork includes a passage aimed directly at the listener, demanding that they block out all the noisy distractions of the modern world and just FOCUS. If the title of their debut LP doesn’t get that message across, then the opening track, Shut Up will do the trick. And god damn, you better sort your shit out and pay attention.
Savages formed just over 18 months ago and it’s clear from this release that they’re in no mood to mess around, pounding through the 11 tracks in just under 40 minutes. The album’s aggressive post-punk influences are immediately apparent but it avoids being tied down by its forerunners or coming off as simply derivative. Bassist Ayse Hassan kicks off proceedings with a throbbing bass line that might have been a Gang of Four offcut, before Fay Milton’s water-tight drums, Gemma Thompson’s hacking guitar, and Jehnny Beth’s don’t-fuck-with-me snarl close ranks around it. The fierce onslaught of the instrumentation drives the album, but it’s Beth’s hypnotic, insistent vocals that provide the focus.
At the risk of drawing uselessly simple comparisons, Patti Smith is the obvious musical touchstone here, and on City’s Full Beth’s voice stretches and trembles with the same ragged attitude of Smith’s on her first album, Horses. The highlight of the album is She Will, which begins with a simple guitar line distorted and is made beautifully menacing with swirling, distorted reverb. Again, Beth’s voice is central as she paints a darkly sexual scene of lesbian love, claiming that she will forget her name/she will come back again/get hooked on loving hard/forcing the slut out. Beth has spoken previously about her relationship with sex, freedom and feminism, telling Pitchfork recently that although she supports its aims of equality, she personally eschews the feminist label. This is in part because of her refusal to accept anything like victimisation and her abiding love of and interest in pornography as a way to challenge the ‘myth of a woman’s pleasure”. Beth dedicates the track, Hit Me to her favourite porn star Bella Donna, who cried during a television interview about her experiences in the industry but who later criticised the program’s editing for portraying her as a helpless victim.
Silence Yourself draws to a close with the track Marshal Dear, a marked change of pace. Tinkling piano underlines the mournful lyrics before a depressing, warbling clarinet solo trudges into the distant silence.
Savages’ debut is not a happy affair, but it is deeply urgent and feels absolutely necessary.
