Savages: Silence Yourself

Right out of the gate I’m thinking second coming of Elastica. Though that comparison is relatively fleeting, as the obvious Siouxsie and the Banshees thing rolls on in with its tribal, almost witch doctor feel. You can picture the black leather and flames, grimy clubs and sweat. It has that perfect post-punk thing that is somehow passionate and emotional but distant in its sheer coolness. This wasn’t an album I truly appreciated until I sat down and listened to it with minimal distraction through a decent pair of headphones with little background noise. And then I heard shades of PJ Harvey’s “50 Ft Queenie” and Public Image Ltd., but more consistent and less kitschy. It’s rare these days to have what amounts to a real rock ‘n’ roll band both fronted by and made up of all women. Sure, you’ll run across a band or three with a chick singer or bassist, or an indie band or two that has somehow spun off of Sleater-Kinney, but to have a true rock band with all the trimmings featuring all chicks is pretty cool. I imagine they’re not going to pull any L7 tampon craziness, but hopefully they’ll stick around and keep up the attitude for a while and not be a one-album flash in the pan. Rock could use something different these days, and they seem to have it in spades.