I've shockingly neglected this record. The problem with buying a huge amount of records in one go is that it's all to easy to not give them the time they deserve, and that's what happened here: I was in Colorado visiting a friend and spent a great deal of time in Bart's CD Cellar and Albums on the Hill. I spent my first ever Record Store Day in those two shops (RSD hadn't long been a thing, and this was long before the queues and exclusive records of modern times) and came home with this in the middle of a large stack of vinyl. I played all the albums shortly after getting back and even made mp3s of this one (although the often-shitty quality of my USB turntable might be to blame for the lack of plays).
The first time I heard of Les Savy Fav was by the way of a comparison to The Paper Chase when I first got into them (or rather, slightly before that. More details are here), however that wasn't what got me into them. Towards the end of my first semester in Australia I saw a girl in my halls-of-residence who I hadn't noticed before. I noticed her this time because she was wearing a Les Savy Fav t-shirt and so I assumed she at least had a cool taste in music (this was true. Too cool in fact, as I've mentioned here and here). At the start of my second semester there we were introduced by a mutual friend called Jimmy and she got me into a lot of bands I might not have heard otherwise. Despite all of this, I still didn't actually listen to Les Savy Fav until I got back to the UK and found a copy of Inches on cd in London. I'd heard about the concept (nine 7"s over their career put together to make an album) and thought it was pretty cool. I enjoyed them, but found I was way more into the earlier records than the later ones (Our Coastal Hymn is a mixtape staple).
Anyway, I've gradually picked up their back-catalogue (except for The Cat and the Cobra, which I really must buy). Playing this now, I don't know why I don't play it more often. Hopefully this realisation will be the catalyst that gets me listening to it more. Daily Dares and Pills are definitely highlights and it ends nicely with the line "This giving in is wearing thin" over and over and a locked groove of fuzz and feedback. Good stuff, but Inches is still a more rewarding listen.
Format: 12", insert
Tracks: 11
Cost: £7.04 new
Bought: Bart's CD Cellar, Boulder
When: 18/04/08
Colour: Black
Etching: Side A: "Steppin' me to death, steppin' me to death" Side B: "Shovolve"
mp3s: no
