#savak

3/9/26.

I was bouncing around Bandcamp and ran across Plates of Cake. I remember in the early days of this blog I posted about them, so I gave it a listen. There is so much to like on "Decline and Fall", the second-to-last album from this Brooklyn, New York band. The band, led by Jonathan Byerley released music for over a decade (2009-2022) and everything I've listened to was diverse and well-made. Influences clearly are The Kinks, The Who, and Love. It also recalls fellow New Yorkers SAVAK (listen to "Crusader Castle") and Raj Sabhlok ("Gallery Girl").

But I'd really like to hone in on The Kinks for a moment. Later Kinks albums always had amazing songs and the one headscratcher; what's that doing here? "CIA Man" is the headscratcher here, but it's followed by the best song (and most Kinks-like) on the album - "Papa Didn't Leave No Number".

Omega Radio for July 21, 2025; #414.

New Eves, The: “Highway Man”

Artificial Go: “Pay Phone”

Whisper Hiss: “Moveable Objects”

Beths, The: “No Joy”

Maximum Joy: “Stretch”

Landowner: “Victim Of A Narcissist”

Savak: “Leash Biter”

Eel Men: “Exeter Exit”

Straw Man Army: “Look Alive”

Alvilda: “Paris Ete”

Qlowski: “Desire”

Bodega: “N.A.S.S.”

Corker: “Vital”

Options: “Time’s Up”

Bench Press: “Filter”

Gut Health: “Separate States”

Lane: “I Become Your Vision”

Bed Maker: “Double Dutch”

Dummy: “Nine Clean Nails”

The song “Up with the Sun” jangles and tumbles, guitars splaying out in rainbow chords, drums rumbling in continuous pummeling rolls, voices joined in harmonies — think R.E.M. early on or the Sadies in a not-so-country psychedelic mode. “Two Lamps” by contrast lurches along on clawed bass, stopping and starting in dank post-punk style, like E the band or FACS. Both songs raise a joyful clangor, but they are fundamentally different.

Omega Radio for August 13, 2022; #323.

Casual Hex: "New You"

Body Type: "Bouyancy"

Keg: "Heyshaw"

During: "Birds Of Juneau"

Landowner: "War Leads To War"

Media Jeweler: "Helicopter"

Straw Man Army: "Day 49"

Kneeling In Piss: "I Am A Patsy"

Spread Joy: "Ow" + "Contrition"

Snooper: "Come Together"

Smarts: "Smarts Theme"

Debbie Downers: "Man In A Panic"

Argument?: "I Just Wanna' Have Some Fun"

Maraudeur: "Robot Machine"

Clear History: "Solar Death Ray"

Stoner Will & The Narks: "(The Externality Of) Cheap Beer (Is Tacit Consent To Empire)"

Cagette: "Scatty Man"

Kaputt: "Hi! I'm The Wasp"

Doc Flippers: "Terrible II"

Bodega: "Thrown"

Pinch Points: "Am I Okay" + "Reasons to Be Anxious"

BB Eye: "Poke You In The Eye"

Desperfecto: "Olvide"

Trash Kit: "Shyness"

Tyvek: "We're Back"

Unschooling: "Shopping On The Left Bank"

Traps PS: "CCTV"

Rips: "Mirror"

Nicfit: "Fuse"

Handle: "untitled demo #2"

Spllit: "Heavy Handed Time"

Pardoner: "Bunny's Taxi"

Screensaver: "Static State"

La Jungle: "Hyperitual"

Pamphlets: "Flowers"

Savak: "No Blues No Jazz"

Last Night: "Magnetique"

Splitting Image: "Hard To Reach"

Sarcasm: "Conceptual Forms"

Marbled Eye: "Laughing Sound"

Mystic Inane: "Josephine The Singer"

Krimi: "Vicious Cycle"

Hypoluxo: "Sometimes"

Savak – Carolina Light

8/12/25.

If you like the New York band SAVAK, please take note. The Whimbrels employ Matt Hunter (SAVAK) as a vocalist/bassist. And to me, The Whimbrels definitely have a rock sound I associate with SAVAK or Chris Brokaw.

But, wait, there's more. The band has three guitarists - two who have played with the Glenn Branca Ensemble and one with Swans. Add all that together and you can imagine a wall of sound with a clear back groove.

4/21/25.

Dauber is a three-piece band from upstate New York (Hudson). Listening to "Falling Down", I immediately thought of the intensity of Hüsker Dü. The rest of this debut CD (I think it's their debut) continues in the vein of guitar/melodic punk, but not all songs are reminiscent of Hüsker Dü. Other songs recall the work of bands like The Hives, Savak, Titus Andronicus and even Sonic Youth ("Dead Weight").