Only a year separated
SAVAK's second album, 2017's Cut-Ups, and their third, 2018's
Beg Your Pardon, which is an impressively fast turnaround for an indie band in the 2010s. Stylistically, the band didn't advance all that much in the space of 12 months, but
Beg Your Pardon does sound noticeably different than its older sibling.
Beg Your Pardon is more muscular and tightly focused than
SAVAK's previous work, and the performances display a new level of confidence and assurance. The crackle of the guitar crosstalk on "2X Void," the slowly building tension of "Agronomy Domine," and the high-speed bash and crash of "Door Deals & Debt" hit their targets with a precision that this band hasn't quite summoned in the past, and the ensemble playing has strengthened. Guitarist
Sohrab Habibion and Michael Jaworski have sharpened their attack both individually and as a combination, and bassist James Canty and drummer Matt Schulz hit harder and with a better sense of groove on these sessions, driving the music forward while adding to their melodic power. And though the use of keys and horns on Cut-Ups sometimes seemed to be filling up empty spaces, they appear more judiciously and with greater effect on
Beg Your Pardon, feeling more organically integrated with the arrangements, especially the use of saxophones on "Our Savage Wit." And if this band still has a ways to go lyrically (especially on the opener, "Dead Dick"), that doesn't change the fact that
Beg Your Pardon is
SAVAK's best and most satisfying release to date. While
SAVAK initially gained attention for their impressive lineage (the membership includes former and current members of
the Obits,
the Cops,
Holy Fuck, and
Edsel),
Beg Your Pardon shows they're maturing into a band that has more than enough to offer in its own right. ~ Mark Deming