Les Savy Fav - Inches

Label: Frenchkiss

Year: 2004

I've been listening to the most recent Les Savy Fav record a lot lately, and if you don't have that one, by all means go get it, because it's great, but that made me think I should get something by the band posted up here. I don't want to upload their current record, because you should go buy it, but here's an older release to whet your appetite.

Inches is a compilation of 9 different 7"s released over the course of seven years, so it's a true career retrospective up to that point. The band has a reputation for releasing their best material via 7" as opposed to a lot of bands who issue their "non-album cuts" in the format. Consequently, this album holds together really well, all the songs work together as if they were always meant to be presented in this manner. The songs are presented in a reverse chronological order, so you do feel that the band has evolved over the years from a guitar-centric, punkish indie rock band (emphasis on the rocking), into a more sophisticated off-kilter arty post-punk ensemble. It's hard to label them, but the common denominator is that they write really catchy songs that tend to rock out, with top notch, inventive musicianship. I dig it, and I think you will too.

DL