SILENCE YOURSELF

Description

"Silence Yourself," the title of this debut effort released on the independent label Pop Noire (Lescop), warns right from the start. The four London agitators have no intention of humming into the microphone or strumming their guitars. And even less so of going unnoticed, even all dressed in black. While Jehnny Beth was somewhat overshadowed during her time with John & Jehn – contenting herself with a somewhat restrained role – she has now swapped her floral dresses for a Sinead O'Connor-esque look and asserts herself within Savages in a powerful role with a palpable aura. Spotted by Sigur Rós's manager, the female quartet knows its classics and here follows in the footsteps of some leading figures of late 1970s British post-punk. From Siouxsie and the Banshees to PJ Harvey, as well as illustrious testosterone-fueled representatives like Joy Division or Public Image Ltd, they revive the golden age of the genre in its purest tradition. Martial, sepulchral, untamed, *Silence Yourself* delivers all the expected sonic thrills and also offers rare, dark, and lingering melodic passages. But the warriors are not so chauvinistic, especially when one considers the French origins of singer Camille Berthomier (her real name) who belts out on *Silence Yourself*, drawing inspiration from the wildest French rocker, Catherine Ringer, or delivering her phrasing with the snap of Patti Smith in her *Horses* era. Wild and charismatic.