Artist: Savoy | Album title: Under | Year: 2024
Track Listing: 1. Lonely Surfer; 2. Station; 3. Digital River; 4. Pure as Driven Snow; 5. Life and Times of a Wannabe; 6. Under; 7. Coming Down; 8. Camden Palace Chronicles; 9. X Marks the Spot; 10. Lonesome Alone | Running Time: 36m 33s
Note: I have incomplete lyrics and no songwriting credits. Corrections will be made if required.
This is a new experience for me – reviewing an album where I don’t have the album. Savoy have decided that their seventh album, “Under”, is released – initially anyway – only on vinyl and digitally. These youngsters, eh?
A few years ago, I ran through my favourite Savoy songs. So when I revisit the list in 2031, will any of this latest batch be in the mix?
What a groove to start off with. A smoky, moody, rock chorus carries us through a California mountain tunnel (“Mountain ranges/Dusty heat/Town of Angels/At your feet”) until we’re suddenly confronted by the bright, breezy, chorus (“You leave your house/On an ordinary day/Tip your hat to/A neighbour on his way“) assisted in no small way by Lauren’s ‘aaahhhhh’ backing vocal. A foot-tapping tempo, an irrepressible bassline, two electric guitars providing a classic guitar melody and Paul lending some “yeps”, “woos”, “c’mons” for levity. Sublime. [9]
A rich, mid-tempo rock song with Beatle-y strings and effect-laden guitars that give “Station” a sort of psychedelic feel. Interesting to hear the recycling of some a-ha lyrics (“Your dark glasses/Sliding down your nose/Bring these proceedings/To a close”). I like the lyric, so I’m all for it. It’s a smart composition with a hook that’s almost there, but still good enough to keep your attention. [7]
Oh, boy. Here we go. “Digital River” was a song that ultimately didn’t make a-ha’s 2015 studio album, “Cast in Steel”. It was taken out of mothballs so they would have something new to play on their 2019 tour – mega a-ha fans have already heard it with Morten Harket singing. But let’s just say it’s a track that split the fan base a bit.
When I heard Savoy were including it on their new album, I had already arranged and produced it in my head. The end product didn’t turn out like I imagined it would. Lauren takes lead vocals, with backing vocals that are sometimes in harmony, sometimes delayed. I just don’t like the main vocal or the electronic programming all that much. I thought we’d get Paul singing on a more guitar-driven track. But the guitar parts that are in here, I do like, especially the outro. Even if the themes are a little outmoded in 2024, Paul probably long wanted to do something with social media word plays like “I send a word/Now we are friends…I do my bit/I re-submit…back we go/To and fro/Brain carousel“. As the kids say, I’m not mad at it. [6]
The shortest song, at 151 seconds, proposes that the expectation of truth needs to be realistic (“I think if truth is to be told/No one is pure as driven snow“). Paul suggests a little white lie, to which Lauren comments that’s acceptable. But, before long, things escalate: “lie through your teeth (that’s despicable)/Draped in deceit (unforgivable)/A fraud and a cheat (so predictable)“. Sweet acoustic notes, a restrained percussion, and another fantastic bass rhythm. I might have preferred a string accompaniment to the synthesized riff motif that features, but it’s nothing that hurts the song. [8]
I hope you enjoyed the respite because we plug back in again for “Life and Times of a Wannabe”. A stomping intro kickstarts this tale of superficiality. The frank verse (“Now we are left/With nothing much/Out of time/And out of luck“) and caustic chorus (“You are not who you are/Borrowed feathers are what you wear/And it got you this far“) are transitioned by the essential flute-style keyboard in the pre-chorus. The verse is stronger than the chorus but, overall, this is a fun listen. [7]
A song whose soundscape is varied and fascinating, identifying what you’re listening to is the biggest challenge. The gradual build begins with piano, then perhaps a modulated synth, and finally a string section (of violas maybe?). That brings us to Lauren’s ominous vocal (“could you hurt a fly/sitting on your bedroom window“), accompanied by eerie, picked guitar notes. Then there’s another change up as Lauren’s vocals are overdubbed in a higher pitch (“could you make it die/Thinking nothing more about it now“), and it sounds phenomenal.
After a brief acoustic guitar instrumental, the band kick in for the chorus as Paul takes over the main vocals (“Under the floorboards/Creaking in the night/Under the staircase/The total lack of light“). That’s the gist of it, and it only gets better from there. No two sections sound exactly the same. It’s murky, menacing, foreboding, and it is maybe Savoy’s grand opus. [10]
If the dramatic tension of “Under” wore you out, left you lying, the beginning of “Coming Down” might make you feel like you’ve transitioned to the other side. This track takes a journey from an embryonic state (we start with a muted acoustic guitar that gradually strums its way to the fore), and the various sections add a little bit each time.
Paul sings the first verse with mostly acoustic accompaniment, the second verse adding some percussion, and we’re straight in to the piano-backed chorus, still with a minimal arrangement, with great backing vocals from, I assume, Frode.
But “Coming Down” then becomes a powerful rock ballad, with a fantastic string section, another phenomenal bass line, and a super-sweet guitar solo. After the pressure of “Under”, this perfectly placed track allowed me to float. Maybe it’s as simple, as “Under” was sophisticated. But, in its simplicity, it is stirring and evocative. [9]
Lauren returns to lone lead vocal duties for “Camden Palace Chronicles”. If you missed those early 2000s Savoy pop songs (“If You Won’t Come to the Party”, “Girl One”) then this is the one for you. Musically there’s a nice transition from the verse to the chorus, but neither section is particularly strong. Paul has said that it’s about a dress he bought Lauren (“My Laura Ashley dress/Acquired that very day”) and the final line of the first chorus (“With new romantics on full display“) suggests it’s a recall from the mid 80s. There’s some nice backing vocals, strings, and the odd flourish on the guitar sounds good. But the keyboard motif is not that endearing and the song is probably the weakest on the album for me. [6]
There’s a sixties vibe – dare I say Beatles? – but there’s also a quirkiness that has me thinking I could hear Justin Hawkins recording a song like this. I don’t know exactly what’s going on in the lyrics (“Take a shot/X Marks the Spot/You’re bound to hit something/Dust in your mind/Blurring the lines”) – I don’t think Paul plays golf. But there’s a few compelling elements here – it’s upbeat, has a cruising tempo, enjoyable guitars and strings, fine backing vocals. The verse and chorus work very well, but there’s what I might describe as a post-chorus line (“For years down the line“) which adds a surprise but appreciated little hook. (Edit: Ok, just occurred to me, is this a sequel to “Early Morning”?) [7]
Paul has a specialty for writing album closers, whether it’s for a-ha or Savoy. “Lonesome Alone” has an introspective opening with just a piano melody, before a simple drum beat and gentle acoustic guitar back up Paul’s anatomical lyrics (“Two arms to hold her/Two eyes to see/Two ears to listen/Her whispering to me”).
Before you know it, a layer of strings and an accompanying bass become the driver of the melody, turning what was a pert, folksy tune in to a lush, soulful track. But, wait. We have one more turn, with a very effective change-up after the chorus (“Later we’ll go for a walk/Yes, later, then we can talk”).
There’s a lot of emotional depth here about someone who comforts another by taking their pain away (“A cloud has been lifted/From her head to mine/Now I’m in the gutter/And she’s feeling fine”). Maybe it’s a little more downbeat than other love songs we hear from Paul, one where someone comes out of it worse than how they started. But maybe that’s what love is?
If I were playing word association with this track, I’d probably say “Tori Amos”. It closes out the album impeccably with what sounds like the appropriately pained wail of a clarinet. A great composition. [8]
| While “See the Beauty in Your Drab Hometown” didn’t live too long in the memory for me, this follow-up is as good as anyone had a right to expect. It’s a wildly diverse, alternative pop/rock album with many different influences. Ultimately, it succeeds because the material is strong and everything is put together in a coherent and thoughtful way. Everyone plays their part here. Paul, of course, writes songs that suit his vocals and he sounds fantastic throughout the album. Even if a couple of songs are ordinary, they still work fine in the context of the album. Can we get back to Paul writing most of the a-ha albums again? |
nearvana 