Go Forth

Album Review

A few albums into their career, Les Savy Fav continue refining their idiosyncrasies and coming to realize their trademark sound. Past albums were often eclectic in terms of style, the band not sure if it wanted to head in more of a punk or emo direction — or perhaps a hybrid of the two. If anything though, Go Forth is consistent in terms of style. Les Savy Fav have come to terms with who they want to be and explore that identity over the course of the album's 11 songs, which are similar in tone yet different in approach. There's a particular irony with their music, though. On the one hand, Les Savy Fav have never sounded this sure of themselves and their songs have never been this crafted — surely positive qualities. Yet, on the other hand, the ultimate refined sound that the band has realized sounds inescapably like Fugazi — the guitar tones, the riffs, the singing, the songwriting, the rhythm section, and even the lyrics — even more than on past albums. No one's going to argue that Fugazi wasn't an incredibly influential band — the influence of the group was mammoth, particular on Les Savy Fav's generation. Yet, while it's a flattering comparison, Les Savy Fav have somewhat stacked the cards against themselves by modeling their sound so closely on Fugazi's. Ideally, it's best to avoid comparisons and take Go Forth for what it is: another impressive album for Les Savy Fav. At this point they have worked through their formative stage, and prove themselves capable of delivering a solid album with diverse songwriting and a consistent style. And even if that style sounds derivative and summons the inevitable Dischord comparisons, it's impressive nonetheless.