Cavan can't stop rocking and yet again, I'm sold by the newest offering. The Savage Hearts are a garage rock band dipped in blues and old fashioned fun, with a lot of song writing ability and a well crafted blend of styles. Fronted by Darragh Muldoon on lead vocals and guitar, Evan Walsh (mentioned before here.. and eh... here) on bass, Terry Brady on harmonica and Emil Kapusta on drums, The Savage Hearts have released two strong singles so far this year and have been releasing a feast of covers before then.
Gang War was released back in February and is a really great starting point for most rock fans. It's a pretty solid rock track cemented in style by trippy organ and a stomping chorus. I especially like the little harmonica fills during the verses, the wall of sound during the chorus and the backing vocals which I believe are the work of Evan's sister Becky. The B-side to this release is called Speed Kills and it's my favourite of the two. It's a song based on a straight forward punk rhythm overlaid with bluesy touches and 50's doo wop vocals. It's medicinal. It's magical.
The latest release from The Savage Hearts is another double track release. Speeding Bullets is the A side and it's a really great bluesy track that immediately reminded me of The Strypes, featuring a bluesy riff and cool harmonica, yet somewhat more experimental on guitar with some flanger effects and killer solo. The B-side is called Only Lovers Left Alive and again is the stronger one for me. It's another blues based song with lots of sax and keys laid over. It has a great foot stomping rhythm. I really like the little 80's style guitar lick at the start of the intro before the main hook kicks in.
Overall, I'm really impressed by The Savage Hearts. They're a fun band to listen to and clearly having fun in their song writing. I was a huge fan of The Strypes and then The Zen Arcade, so this is definitely hitting the spot. I have to admit that I was hesitant at first but I'm sold and can't wait to hear more. The songs are so well produced, it's really impressive how they are all based on a simple melody and then turned into something wonderful.
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