Skip to content
Help support CapRadio’s local public service mission 
and enrich the lives in your community.
Support local nonprofit public media.
Donate Now

View thank you gift options

CapRadio

CapRadio

listen live donate
listen live donate
listen live
donate
  • News
    • News

    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
    News
    • News

    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • Music

    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic

    • Daily Playlist
    Music
    • Music

    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic

    • Daily Playlist
  • Podcasts & Shows
  • Schedules
  • Events
  • Support
    • Support
    • Ways to support
    • Evergreen Donation
    • One-Time Donation
    • Corporate Sponsorship
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Giving
    • Legacy Giving
    • Endowment Support
    • Members
    • Member Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • Member Newsletter

    • Fund drives
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
    Support
    • Support
    • Ways to support
    • Evergreen Donation
    • One-Time Donation
    • Corporate Sponsorship
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Giving
    • Legacy Giving
    • Endowment Support
    • Members
    • Member Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • Member Newsletter

    • Fund drives
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 

'Adore Life' Refines Savages' Quiet Moments And Thunderous Peaks

By Tom Moon | NPR
Monday, January 25, 2016

Listen
/
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.

Savages, left to right: AysŸe Hassan, Fay Milton, Gemma Thompson, Jehnny Beth.

Dustin Cohen / Courtesy of the artist

How long has it been since a snarling singer and a supercharged electric guitar grabbed you by the throat and wouldn't let go?

The four women of Savages first appeared in 2013 with a noisy debut called Silence Yourself and a sound that lived up to the London band's name — raw, confrontational, intense. The just-released Adore Life represents a huge leap forward.

On this album, the palette has broadened. Singer Jehnny Beth says it happened after some touring: Savages began to write songs that unfolded like short stories, with sudden changes in tone and texture. To develop this new material, Savages did a smart thing by opting to set up a series of low-key "workshop" performances in clubs. Beth says these helped the band refine both its quiet moments and its thundering peaks.

Savages identifies as a post-punk band, and sure enough, the cornerstone of the sound is abrasive guitar. That can sometimes mask the sophistication in the writing. As the band's lyricist, Jehnny Beth explores the perils of love and commitment in terse, unsentimental language — in "Slowing Down The World," she sounds like she knows every step on the tightrope from infatuation to heartbreak.

Sometimes in rock, raw energy is everything. Savages' members have had that from the start. With Adore Life, the group expands and magnifies that intense, visceral roar. Listen closely through the ear-shredding distortion, and you'll hear the sound of a band that got good in a hurry.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

View this story on npr.org


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

Sign up for ReCap and never miss the top stories

Delivered to your inbox every Friday.

 

Check out a sample ReCap newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

Thank you for signing up for the ReCap newsletter! We'll send you an email each Friday with the top stories from CapRadio.

Browse all newsletters

Most Viewed

Sacramento guaranteed income program opens applications for second round of participants

California could be the first state in the country to ban some much debated food additives

Wildfire victims left ‘in the dark’ after U.S. Forest Service briefs Congress about the Caldor Fire

10 new California laws that go into effect in 2023

Rain, snow and wind are returning to Northern California. In Sacramento, impacts expected to be milder than recent storms

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    •  
      (916) 278-8900
    •  
      (877) 480-5900
    •  Contact / Feedback
    •  Submit a Tip / Story Idea
  • About

    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Stations & Coverage Map
    • Careers & Internships
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
    • Press
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile Apps
    • Smart Speakers
    • Podcasts & Shows
    • On-Air Schedules
    • Daily Playlist
    • Signal Status
  • Connect

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen Live

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2023, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.