Lisa Savidge: Lisa Savidge

​​Artist: Lisa Savidge

Best Songs: Album opener "Building Your Own HAM Radio (Pts. 1&2)" shows off the band's penchant for post punk music. It sounds like it could be a White Lies b-side. There are cascading guitars complimenting Dan Somers' slowly-building vocals. "New Song (Pts. 1&2)," however, is my favorite of the bunch. It is the band's most polished shoegaze effort, hitting on the Jesus & Mary Chain influence they so dearly note in their bio. I think the song -- at least the first minute -- sounds like the Failure song "Pitiful." Anything that sounds even a smidgeon like Failure is okay in my book because they are perhaps the greatest shoegaze band that most people have never even heard of, even though Steve Albini produced their debut album.

Worst Song: I know many a shoegaze band loves to play the downtempo, slower song. I understand that it's a part of the genre's rules, if you will. That doesn't mean said song has to be quiet -- just ask Kevin Shields or William Reid. Things can still be loud, if not in a slow-building, distortion-laden way. "Country Fear" -- while it may be downtempo, is neither loud nor crashing. I suppose the track falls on the post rock side of things, which is all well and good. Perhaps, then, the song would be better off later in the album and not as the third track, so as to keep the brilliant momentum accrued by the first two songs.

Suggestions: Just break up these "Pts. 1&2" as wholly separate tracks -- there's absolutely no reason not to. I know it makes for a pretty unique five-minute song, but "New Song" deserves to be separated into two tracks. It is kind of odd the way the song changes gear completely after the 1:18 mark. Either break them up or leave the "Pts." out of the song titles altogether.

Bonus Video: Check out the video for "Appalachacha (Pts. 1&2)" here.

Grade: B