Damn but these are some charming mother fuckers! Brooklyn two piece Savoire Adore (and that name put me off listening to the record for about a week!) produced their first recordings, a concept-album called "The Adventures of Mr Pumpernickel and the girl with animals in her throat" (another title that would have had them relegated to the bottom of the pile) in a frenzied creative outburst over the course of a weekend. And that creative spark is gently fanned throughout proceedings here; this is a record that rarely repeats itself. If you're looking for artistic cohesion and a narrowly-ploughed furrow, there are millions of tedious bands out there, take your pick.
The album opens with "The Scientific Findings of Dr. Rousseau" intintially a showcase for Paul Hammer's percussive prowess over a single reverberating synth-line but soon introducing his and hers vocals (with Deidre Muro sounding oddly like Karen Carpenter for the first and only time!). And then suddenly the tempo lifts and we're listening to Arcade Fire soundtacking a Beach Movie!
"Merp" has more tasty drumming, with a disco-handclap break down and whooping "Breeders" backing vocals, where recent single "We talk like machines" manages the neat trick of sounding like Noah and the Whale without making me immolate them and rake the ashes with salt.
"Sarah's Secret" sees them back trading vocals like Lynsey de Paul and Mike Moran on "Rockbottom" (presumably drums and keyboards were placed back to back in the studio) with a lovely Field Mice fade out on the guitar.
"The Wooded Forest" features a housey-synth intro and a "none-more-epic-bass-rumble" leading into and Edgy guitar solo. In fact the whole sounds like U2 if they got rid of that clod-hopping Robin williams look-alike and replaced him with a chorus of sea-sick cheerleaders. And, by god, what are they waiting for?
"Bodies" has the nifty bass runs and airy dynamics that justify the Phoenix comparisons the press have been bandying about with gay abandon and "Farewell my Love" sounds like a long lost Hal Hartley movie theme with its intricately delayed keyboards.
"In the Wooded Forest" is a fantastic statement of intent and a worthy addition to the "Fantasy Pop Rock Canon", should such a thing exist and one more reason why a wooded forest is pretty much the best kind of forest to have!
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