hearsay

I’m generally really happy to be living in L.A., and then Les Savy Fav plays an amazing show in New York and I kick myself for not being there. It worked out well for the first couple years; my move pretty much coincided with their hiatus, but seeing their upcoming schedule (2 shows in NYC, zero in L.A.) is painful. I’ll spare trying to rehash the scene secondhand when there are better sources, but it sounds like Tim was at his best, working through at least 3 costume changes (Bohemian Art Rocker, Flower Power Safari, Tim Gone Wild: Oaxaca, and whatever this is) and the band introduced it’s newest member; which is either a second guitarist or Lyla Butler - strapped on to what must be the coolest dad/bassist (rather than bassist/dad) around.

In the meantime I can pacify myself with the Les Savy’s latest gift to the internets, “What Would Wolves Do.” It’s classic LSF: upbeat, with sweeet guitar licks, and insane lyrics drawn from children’s stories like The Three Little Pigs. I especially like the way that Tim ends on the same high note for every line during the verses, a technique that reminds me of the only Mercury Rev song I really love, “Holes.” I recognize the chorus from “phone-in sing-along #2″ from their website, but the chorus is actually my least favorite part of the song. Who knows, maybe they are still going to overlay some phoned-in fan vocals onto this, so we’ll just have to see how the end result sounds. Awoo!

I also just have to say I’m really happy that they have reached a level where they are getting a good amount of attention. I think that Pitchfork finally catching on to what all the fuss was about at the Intonation Fest in 2005 was the turning point. But I still think that LSF deserve to be at least as much of a household name as The White Stripes or The Strokes. Rolling Stone, Spin, Magnet, etc.: forget the payola for one month, stick these guys on the cover.

[photo by Brooklynvegan]

: Les Savy Fav - What Would Wolves Do :