Sit up and pay attention appears to be the warning to listeners of all-female band Savages debut album 'Silence Yourself'. The post-punk outfit have grabbed people’s attention with their ferocious live shows and a spot on the BBC Sound of 2013 poll, but with this album you don’t have to believe the hype you have to embrace the gritty and powerful experience.
Speaking of the album the band has said it “is to be played loud in the foreground.' To almost confirm this point the first song is aptly named ‘Shut Up’ which gets things off to a raucous start. Things get quite dark with a pulsating bass line that dictates ‘I Am Here’ and it isn’t long before comparisons about lead singer Jehnny Beth’s vocals come into question.
There is no doubt Beth’s howling voice has more than a little hint of Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Karen O about them but this does not take anything away from the band. She sings about all things sexually liberating, whether it be discovering yourself or cleverly deconstructed males, the female-driven aggression is clear for all to hear.
The rawness of Savages is what caught many people’s attention in the first place and it is safe to say this grittiness has not been lost. Recorded with producers Johnny Hostile and Rodaith McDonald in just three weeks during December 2012, the hypnotic guitars and powerful lyrics continue to prevail.
She Will is the standout track on the album, everything from the catchy guitar riff to the pent up aggression that oozes from Beth as she repeatedly chants “she will” in such a brilliant manner. The exhilarating aggression continues through ‘No Face’ and ‘Hit Me’, tracks which cement their place firmly in the post-punk genre.
Penultimate track ‘Husbands’ is brilliantly written, with the pulsing whispers of “my husbands, husbands, husbands...” left ringing in your ears hours after listening. In almost direct contrast to the majority of the album final track ‘Marshal Dear’, with its softer piano parts gives the album a nice calm ending and proves to be a standout track that shows another side to the band. Jazz trained pianist Beth offers something different which is matched by the distorted horn section that brings the album to a close.
This is a really good debut album from four girls who appear to have made the impact they wanted. To see this album played live will undoubtedly only improve the credentials of Savages who put it perfectly when they said; “SAVAGES is not trying to give you something you didn’t have already, it is calling within yourself something you buried ages ago.”
'Silence Yourself' is out now.
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Speaking of the album the band has said it “is to be played loud in the foreground.' To almost confirm this point the first song is aptly named ‘Shut Up’ which gets things off to a raucous start. Things get quite dark with a pulsating bass line that dictates ‘I Am Here’ and it isn’t long before comparisons about lead singer 
