Hello Reader,
Full disclosure: We were not compensated for our thoughts; all thoughts are entirely my own.
Are you familiar with a band called Parquet Courts? A band whose music genre has been described as a garage punk, art punk, indie rock and post-punk? I remember emphatically liking their studio albums Light Up Gold (2012), Sunbathing Animal (2014) and Wide Awake (2018) and Tally All the Things That You Broke EP (2013). The band has put out quality album after quality album. They haven’t released an average album yet according to their fans, the reviews and my ears. I remember there being danceable, jubilant melodies on those three albums and the EP. Melodies you could have a dance party to, and grooves that even the most unable to dance human, could easily bob their head at a show.
Over time I’ve thought about it and realized that part of the underlying reason why I vibed with a song like “Total Football” (off the album Wide Awake) was that the vocal delivery reminded me of several other DIY, punk bands, but mostly D. Boon from the Minutemen’s deliveries. The Minutemen only lasted a handful of years in the ’80s but they remain one of my all-time favorite bands to the present day. Adam Savage, Austin Brown, Sean Yeaton and Max Savage comprise the band Parquet Courts and have also released four more studio albums American Specialities (2011), Content Nausea (2014) [as Parkay Quarts], Human Performance (2016), and Sympathy for Life (2021).
Co-frontman of Parquet Courts is musician, singer, songwriter, painter and visual artist Andrew Savage, musically known as A. Savage. His second solo album titled, Several Songs About Fire is Savage’s first since his well-regarded solo debut, Thawing Dawn (2017). Several Songs About Fire was released on October 6th on the fabulous Rough Trade Records. Savage departed NYC after a decade of living there and took up roots in Europe, settling in England where he wrote and recorded his Several Songs About Fire album. I found the notes about the recording process fascinating. They physically recorded onto 1″ 16 track tape, a size more common in the ’70s and ’80s. Of the album title and theme, Savage says, “Fire is something you have to escape from, and in a way this album is about escaping from something. This album is a burning building, and these songs are things I’d leave behind to save myself.”
Several Songs About Fire features a wonderfully talented cast of contributors including:
- Dylan Hadley who played drums on every song, contributed exquisite vocals on “Riding Cobbles,” “Mountain Time,” “David’s Dead,” “Thanksgiving Prayer,” “My New Green Coat,” setting the South American scene by playing the Güiro on “Le Grande Balloon,” played unmistakable percussion on “Hurtin’ or Healed,” “My My My Dear,” “Thanksgiving Prayer,” and “My New Green Coat.”
- Cate Le Bon played captivating piano on “Le Grande Balloon,” “Mountain Time,” “My New Green Coat,” and “Out of Focus,” and magnificent bass guitar on “Riding Cobbles.”
- Jack Cooper played brilliant guitar on “Hurtin’ or Healed,” “Elvis in the Army,” “Riding Cobbles,” “Thanksgiving Prayer,” dazzling bass guitar on “My My My Dear,” “Mountain Time,” and “David’s Dead”, contributed great vocals on “David’s Dead,” perfect shaker in “Le Grande Balloon.”
- Magdalena McLean played violin on “Elvis in the Army,” “Riding Cobbles” and “Thanksgiving Prayer.”
- Euan Hinshelwood played gorgeous alto sax on “Le Grande Balloon,” “My My My Dear,” and “Out of Focus,” exceptional clarinet on “Riding Cobbles” and both sax and clarinet superbly on “Thanksgiving Prayer.”
- John Parish the fantastic Producer, and Mixer also played a salient cabasa for “Le Grande Balloon,” wonderful conga for “My My My Dear,” and impeccable vibraphone for “David’s Dead.”
- A. Savage: contributed vocals on every song, he played guitar on every song, played a groovy bass guitar on “Hurtin’ or Healed,” “Elvis in the Army,” “Le Grand Balloon,” “Thanksgiving Prayer,” “My New Green Coat,” and “Out of Focus.” He also played a firm woodblock on “Le Grande Balloon.”
Onto the hype videos!
The full of action, black and white, well done collage style video for “Elvis in the Army”:
(All credits and rights to A. Savage)
A nice, percussive, vibrant tribute song to a neighbor, “David’s Dead“:
(All credits and rights to A. Savage)
The silent film era style video, “Thanksgiving Prayer”:
(All credits and rights to A. Savage)
Welcome back from the videos. My overall thoughts on Several Songs About Fire: There was pronounced wit and lyrical composition delivered by A. Savage over guitar, percussion and woodwind instruments. The mood within each song on the album was observant, intimate and often understated. There are several songs that feel like you’re listening to a performer in a small venue amongst a gathering of ten, and other songs that make you feel like you’re amongst a crowd of 100. Savage makes excellent use of other musicians that add percussion to fill out the melody, woodwinds to add some funk and pizzaz it up, and those additional vocalists enhance the songs as their vocal tones compliment via contrast in timbre to Savage’s own tone. Great decision to use producer Cate Le Bon to add sonic richness and boldness within songs to A. Savage’s more bare original melodies. The songs although different in melody and sometimes pace, and era (’60s Folk to ’80s/’90s New Wave/British Rock) flow very well from one to another.
The album opener, “Hurtin’ or Healed” kicks off Several Songs About Fire with some stunning guitar work followed by an easy vocal delivery, incredibly introspective lyrics, featuring someone facing an internal crisis. Many facets of life are examined even if life is worth living. Song two, “Elvis in the Army” opens with a jangly, electric guitar that creates a significant contrast from the previous song. Yet, the contrast works and doesn’t interrupt the flow from song to song. The voice pace matches the melody perfectly. The lyrics are very contemplative but also there is acceptance.
Song three, “Le Grand Balloon” is just a lively melodic jam from start to finish. There is beautiful, rich percussion from John Parish on cabasa, Dylan Hadley on drums, Jack Cooper on shaker, A. Savage on woodblock, and Hadley also playing Güiro, transporting the listener to South America. Euan Hinshelwood is featured less than the percussionists, but his saxophone parts add to the melody positively. Savage is on his own vocally and his lyrics and tone shine through the entire song.
Song four, “My My My Dear” has Savage exploring his time in NYC. Musically this song is a great balance of guitar and alto sax coupled with Savage’s lyrics which often reference Mythology. The next song, “Riding Cobbles” is the shortest song in duration on the album but has the fastest BPM. The dueling vocals with Hadley move the song at a rapid yet appropriate pace. I feel the rhyme scheme employed in the song, is just a bonus to the listener.
Song six, “Mountain Time” starts with a great guitar beat from Cooper and piano from Cate Le Bon, Hadley again joins Savage vocally and once again, their contrasting tones create a magical listening experience. The lyrics break the fourth wall, and we hear the lyrics spoken as if we are at an A. Savage show and he is performing for us. The lyrics also spit out analogy after analogy.
“David’s Dead” recalls stories and mutual experiences after processing the news of the passing of Savage’s neighbor, David. And the song also explores feelings of frustration about his living situation. It is a catchy song. There is some lively bass guitar, some off the charts vibraphone working together with the drums and bass to drive the beat and further the song. Amazing lyrical pairing again with Dylan Hadley. It’s a lovely tribute to David.
The next song, “Thanksgiving Prayer” a song expressing gratitude but also exploring the mental states of disaffection, and disassociation. The only song on the album to feature both saxophone and clarinet. Also has violin, some percussion and guitars. A well rounded and full melody.
The ninth song, “My New Green Coat” examines physical items that are significant to the singer, and the items trigger memories and also moving forward from them. Dylan Hadley joins Savage on vocals starting with the first “Reasons to stay…” stanza creating a dueling vocalization earworm that sounds triumphant. Lyrics sung together but contrasted in tone with hers to a delightful result.
The last song on Several Songs About Fire, “Out of Focus” is lyrically about disappearing, about literally closing out the album and love. The tone in which the lyrics are sweetly sung is a calming end to the album. The lyrics encourage you to leave nothing unsaid. Cate Le Bon adds a gentle piano to the melody. Euan Hinshelwood adds some funk to the song with his sax notes. One final time, Dylan Hadley sets the beat with drums, for the first time she’s on vibraphone and she holds the rhythm on percussion. And Jack Cooper adds some guitar and his voice for the third time in the album, pairing with A. Savage’s vocals.
Several Songs About Fire track list (time):
- Hurtin’ or Healed (6:01)
- Elvis in the Army (3:37)
- Le Grand Balloon (6:10)
- My My My Dear (5:01)
- Riding Cobbles (1:54)
- Mountain Time (5:23)
- David’s Dead (4:02)
- Thanksgiving Prayer (4:54)
- My New Green Coat (5:46)
- Out of Focus (3:24)
total run time: 46:06
Several Songs About Fire gets 4.5 out of 5 Scum Drops from me. It is an excellent album that sees A. Savage improving upon his previous solo album work. This album is not among the very best albums of 2023 yet it is absolutely worth listening to. And listening on repeat. It’ll grow on you. Earworms anyone? The album features outstanding contributions from other musicians on every single song. Contributions that provide an exceptional listening experience due to the great musicianship and richness and fullness their instruments including but not limited to their vocals add. Also excellent vocals, lyrics and great musicianship from Savage himself.
Here’s A. Savage’s awesome site including his art portfolio and music:
Here’s a linktree to his tour dates and all the formats you could imagine of Several Songs About Fire: https://linktr.ee/asavageindex
Thanks for reading and supporting good music.
Until the next review on Friday,
Alex
Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site, scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions and SWT Interviews. And all of our socials.
Questions, feedback, or more? Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
