Les Savy Fav
(pronounced lay-SAH-vee-FAHV) is a New York City indie rock band. Their style is influenced by art rock and post-hardcore. The group is known for the stage presence of lead singer Tim Harrington.
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Biography
The group's original line-up, formed in 1995, all met while attending the
Rhode Island School of Design in
Providence, Rhode Island. Live shows are punctuated by the antics of frontman Harrington, including kissing multiple audience members and on-stage wardrobe changes. The rest of the band continues to play as if nothing out of the ordinary is happening.
Guitar player Gibb Slife soon left the band after their debut. Drummer Mahoney was replaced by
Harrison Haynes.
The band started a planned hiatus in mid-2005, which led to speculation that they might have broken up, but lead Harrington confirmed that Les Savy Fav would return , and indeed they did, playing a live performance at the British
All Tomorrow's Parties festival in May 2007. The band booked studio time in November 2006 to record their fourth full length,
Let's Stay Friends
, which was released September 18, 2007. The band is running a video contest on
YouTube for "The Equestrian," a song from their new album.
Andrew Reuland joined the band in 2006 as the second guitar player.. The band performed "Patty Lee" live on
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
on January 31, 2008. Their song "Hold Onto Your Genre" is featured in the soundtrack to
MLB 2K7
, as well as commercials for the game.
Bass player Syd Butler is also the owner of
French Kiss Records. Seth Jabour is also known for his work as an illustrator and graphic designer. Former drummer Pat Mahoney plays currently in
LCD Soundsystem.
The Derry/London based band
Jetplane Landing included a song on their 2007 album
Backlash Cop
entitled "Why Do They Never Play Les Savy Fav On The Radio?"
Music Style
Initially their music featured an abrasive sound fitting in the
noise rock genre and reminiscent of the music of
Fugazi. Later on their music became more
idiosyncratic shifting to a more radio friendly sound more closely to the sound of befriended bands
Bloc Party and
Enon. Members of the latter band contributed to several tracks of the band.
Discography
Studio albums
- 3/5
(1997, Self-Starter Foundation)
- The Cat and the Cobra
(1999, French Kiss Records/Self-Starter Foundation)
- Go Forth
(2001, French Kiss Records)
- Let's Stay Friends
(2007, French Kiss Records)
EPs
- Emor: Rome Upside Down EP
, (2000, Southern)
Live albums
- After the Balls Drop
, (2008, Frenchkiss) (Digital-only release)
Compilations
- Repopulation Program
, Les Savy Fav contribute Raise Buildings
. (1996, Load Records)
- This Is Next Year: A Brooklyn-Based Compilation
, Les Savy Fav contribute No Sleeves
. (2001, Arena Rock Recording Co.)
- Inches
, a compilation of singles from 1995-2004 (2004, Frenchkiss - re-released 2008 on Wichita Recordings)
- Warm & Scratchy
, Les Savy Fav contribute The Equestrian
. (2007, Adult Swim)
Singles
- SubPop7, Sub Pop, 1997
- 7" on DeSoto Records
- "Split Single", with The Apes and The Mars Volta; Les Savy Fav contribute "Four Divided by One" (2002, Southern Records)
- "Accidental Deaths", features "Hit by Car" and "Hit by Train" (2006, Rococo Records)
- "Plagues & Snakes"; Australian Tour EP, features "Raging in the Plague Age" and "Wake Up a Snake" (2006, PopFrenzy Records)
- "What Would Wolves Do?", features "What Would Wolves Do?" and "The Year Before The Year 2000" (2007, Wichita Records)
- "Patty Lee", features "Patty Lee" and "The Sweat Descends" (2008, Wichita Records)