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Cut​-​Ups

by SAVAK

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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    REPRESS on Black Vinyl - limited to 200 copies - 12" jacket and inner sleeve printed with a matte finish. Artwork by Jim Blaha of The Blind Shake and hand set type by Davin Kuntze at Woodside Press. Silver center labels for that touch of class you won't find in the music itself. Lyrics and photos for those who care.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Cut-Ups via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days
    edition of 200 
    Purchasable with gift card

      $20 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    4-panel wallet on matte card stock with a slit to hold the CD. Front and back covers have artwork by Jim Blaha of Minneapolis rockers The Blind Shake (not to be confused with the real estate agent of the same name nor the CFO of Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation). Gatefold includes lyrics and photos on the inside panels. Back cover has handset wood type by Davin Kuntze of Woodside Press. Nifty!

    Includes unlimited streaming of Cut-Ups via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $10 USD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $10 USD  or more

     

  • Cut-Ups Vinyl LP
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    12" jacket and inner sleeve printed with a matte finish. Artwork by Jim Blaha of The Blind Shake and hand set type by Davin Kuntze at Woodside Press. Silver center labels for that touch of class you won't find in the music itself. Lyrics and photos for those who care. And downright upright blue vinyl for anyone who still remembers the excitement they felt buying the first pressing of The Faith's 'Subject To Change' EP. Say no more!

    Includes unlimited streaming of Cut-Ups via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out

1.
Sick Of War 03:53
This sickness takes on many forms No panacea, no end to all these wars Does a cure even exist? Will time reveal a stronger medicine? We repeat these same mistakes Denying a history we cannot escape To live, to push away this pain To realize existence that we cannot explain I’m sick, I’m so sick, I’m sick of war
2.
Like Gary Wilson said She is real, she is real And some obsessions Are hard to conceal Like Gary Wilson said I suspend myself in dreams Because this world Is just not what it seems Like Gary Wilson said You might think you know me But some impressions Are never revealed Like Gary Wilson said Let your spirit free Some people die for love And some for vanity But if everybody knows Please feed me to the crows And toss what’s left in the river My eyes, my heart, my liver Like Gary Wilson said If something’s too good to be true Put your duck in the ocean And see if she swims back to you Like Gary Wilson said You gotta lose control Loneliness is a prison That slowly kills your soul But if everybody knows Please feed me to the crows And toss what’s left in the river My eyes, my heart, my liver
3.
People and their fate Life to contemplate Seems so small sometimes Dying to exist Existentialist You’re so young and fine Something to connect Spark our intellect Feels so good sometimes Trying to relate We can procreate I can fall in line We cannot compare pain but we Can give each other new reasons to exist We can find a new place I will take you there Lying on the floor This all came before I repeat myself People make mistakes Learn to live this way We still have our health Something to correct Souls will intersect Love is such a find Learn to live this way Learn the things to say I get by just fine We cannot compare pain but we Can give each other new reasons to exist We can find a new place I will take you there
4.
Ruled by experts Ruled by whim Ruled by the wealthy Ruled by Him Ruled by tyrants Ruled by thieves Ruled by pedants Ruled by our fears But you seem to be floating You seem to be free Ruled by bishops Ruled by mobs Ruled by squatters Ruled by natural laws Ruled by pundits Ruled by slaves Ruled by civil servants Ruled to our graves Soon we’ll be floating Soon we’ll be free
5.
Sunbreak, sunlight, new moon be pleased tonight We brace for new life Mended our old fences Paint will fade, time will save Show us the light, teach us new ways We lift the shades, open our new senses Warm sun behind your back Cold wind direct attack It’s hard to tell which way it’s blowing Sometimes it’s better never knowing You caught me with one look Wrote me into your book Sundazed, sun blind, new sun keep track of time Embraced new life We called her freedom Darkness fades, longer days Roll back the stone and leave the cave Accept this change The light of revelation Warm sun behind your back Cold wind direct attack It’s hard to tell which way it’s blowing Sometimes it’s better never knowing You caught me with one look Wrote me into your book A natural light illuminating Something so real we have created Sometimes it’s better never knowing A natural light is truly glowing
6.
Before there was an ending Before there was a start In the middle of the middle In the heart of our hearts I looked out on the world, thinking, “They are aliens, they are bones” I stood amidst our treasures Small, but bright and ours alone Ours alone They’re ours alone They’re ours What they’ve taken, what we’ve lost Does not define who we are We are mineral, we are truth We are nothing, we are proof Knowing they can’t touch us They can’t penetrate our skulls Lure us with their promises Or trap us with their rules We are everlasting We are night and day We are water, we are sky We are everlasting And we’re all alone All alone We are
7.
Loma Prieta 02:41
We never asked for this Couldn’t feel it coming on Implicit faith, we missed the signs, ignored the dogs Red-faced new clown prince Heir apparent, empty throne Disown your army Leave the rest of us alone Beyond control Loma Prieta We lost our soul Loma Prieta You had a taste of it Now you’re drinking from the cup I’ll never take a sip I’m not giving up Now a beast is forming No longer hides among the rest His mouth is open as he rears his ugly head Beyond control Loma Prieta We lost our soul Loma Prieta Can’t tell you when it started Can’t save you from yourself Can’t carry what’s been left behind Can’t talk to you about it Can’t save you from yourself Can’t bury what’s been left behind
8.
Day to day it’s drudgery Litter box and cutlery But that’s what I do I stay upstairs Fixing old broken chairs Because that’s what I do I re-read books About lechers, lepers, crooks Yeah that’s what I do And I don’t want to be defended I studied your verses So much voodoo, spells and curses To do what you do With no belief to be forsaken Or miracle to be mistaken I do what I do No medals, no crosses No weathermen, no bosses I like what I do And I don’t want to be defended
9.
Keys to the city Wandering aimless Lights to name us Cracks in the ceiling Walls are crumbling I suspect it Drunk on the Bowery No reflection I needed direction Sirens were singing Songs of love And you returned it Young and so pretty Make out wasted with perfect faces Empire State leaning New young rich Need new perspectives Watched all the hippies Cash in stocks For upstate houses Broke out the bubbly For trust fund kids Pre-war apartments I finally found a home No I can’t get away
10.
Long before I came Long before I found The list beside your bed With the future crossed out I’d been standing at the border Watching the changing of the guard Watching the fire-breathing And all the babies being born I followed your sister Into a crowded square Where they hung all the traitors From East German cranes That’s when I knew I’d left America I left America Long before I came

about

"Subtle, strong, and smart." - AllMusic

"Wenn man Musikliebhaber ist dann sollte man dieses Album auf jeden Fall besitzen." - Pretty in Noise

"Vrlo lijep, melodičan i ukusno opremljen album." - terapija

"Disque épatant et lumineux, car il éclaire l’esprit et décongestionne les articulations. Indispensable." - À Découvrir Absolument

From the desk of James Finlay, Nottingham, England...

Music isn’t so easy these days. Everyone’s doing it. They’re combing the annals. They’re hawking it from all the platforms. Kids in bedrooms are hammering out digital release strategies for new bands. Communications are being marinated in marketing speak; words are being harvested from dense SEO reports. Surely this is not the great DIY utopia we were promised. Is it still possible to feel righteous in a world where the parameters of aesthetics and worth have been whittled down to a thumb drive?

Fortunately SAVAK is back and brandishing a new LP that’s calmly saying, ‘yes…yes that is still possible.’

Titled Cut-Ups, this new SAVAK record consists of 10 immaculate nuggets of primo, left-field rock'n'roll, of the sort you may (or may not) associate with a band comprising former and current members of Obits, The Make-Up, Holy Fuck, The Cops, Nation of Ulysses, Edsel and Enon.

That’s a heavy smorgasbord. So how are the results? As laudable as one would expect given the pedigree. Cut-Ups is as kaleidoscopic, ambitious and as curious a record as you could hope for.

Like the debut SAVAK LP, Best of Luck in Future Endeavors, there’s that instant thing – instant hooks all over, instant choruses – but not cheap instant like the noodles. The flavors on this record have a long finish, with a satisfyingly wide palate. There are pristine multi-part harmonies and skronky jazz bits, as well as odd, subtle experiments with Joe Meek-y sound design. There’s that undeniable propulsive groove that many of these guys have become synonymous with. There’s even a song about the reclusive, experimental musician Gary Wilson. At least I think it’s about him. It could possibly be about English Snooker legend Gary Wilson (unlikely), or just some not-famous Gary Wilson. There are also healthy smatterings of garage rock, ‘60s jangle, jazz and psych. The devil is in the details on SAVAK records and there are many, many details on Cut-Ups.

There's no denying that SAVAK is pissed on this record too. These guys are cut up and in barbed and furious mettle, but this is definitely not your usual terse and angry punk-rock record. SAVAK will not be performing these songs shirtless, or windmilling their fists and bulging their carotids as they kick out these jams (well, maybe they will a little actually). They've mastered the art of coloring and nuancing their musical communications in deeper ways with lighter, more complex textures. There’s an uplifting, philosophical bent to the heavy subjects tackled here.

For me Cut-Ups is like the moment in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest when Chief Bromden throws the water fountain through the sanitarium window and runs to his freedom across the field. You know it's a heavy vibe but you feel good taking it in. This record can raise you like that.

credits

released October 27, 2017

SAVAK is Sohrab Habibion, Michael Jaworski, James Canty and Matt Schulz

With help from David Grant (vocals), Jordan McLean (trumpet), Allison Robinson (vocals), Geoff Sanoff (keyboards, guitar), Katie Schottland (vocals), Greg Simpson (bass), Josh Sinton (saxophone) and Greg Vegas (saxophone)

Produced by Geoff Sanoff & SAVAK
Engineered & mixed by Geoff Sanoff at Renegade Studios
Additional engineering by Hewson Chen & SAVAK

Artwork by Jim Blaha
Lion logo by Rick Froberg
Layout & design by Habibion-Kujundzic-Ephemera Design
Hand-set typography by Davin Kuntze at Woodside Press

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about

SAVAK Brooklyn, New York

SAVAK was formed in 2015 by Sohrab Habibion (Obits, Edsel) and Michael Jaworski (The Cops, Virgin Islands), who play guitars and trade off singing songs, along with drummer Matt Schulz (Holy Fuck, Enon). The live band features Jeff Gensterblum (Small Brown Bike, Her Head’s On Fire) on drums and bassist Matt Hunter (New Radiant Storm King, Silver Jews). ... more

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