Friendly Savages

O, Joshua!

“We may have lost our way/but do not count us lost,” swells John McDonald in the climaxing calamity of “Counted Lost,” which opens Friendly Savages’ debut LP. It’s a call to the ambitiousness of the local quartet, kicking high-energy, folk-rooted tunes through 16 tracks. “I Have Your Ghost” unravels a string band fury into the harrowing surge and tremble of “Trouble With Home,” and if McDonald layers the intense sincerity too thick at times – bordering on Mumford & Sons-styled drama – his vocals grind just enough grit to roughen the edges. The balance of controlled chaos in the arrangements keeps the songs moving, so even the calmer paces of “The Hold of the Lord on My Sparrow,” harmony swept “Ten Natives,” and lightly loping “Gold and Silver (Love Is Lost)” course with a tension to explode. “For Grace (Love Is Found)” re-centers, but “Asteroid J-30” declares the full gravitational pull of stardom’s ambitions for the young outfit.

**.5

This article appears in September 27 • 2013.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US

Doug Freeman has been writing for the Austin Chronicle since 2007, covering the arts and music scene in the city. He is originally from Virginia and earned his Masters Degree from the University of Texas. He is also co-editor of The Austin Chronicle Music Anthology, published by UT Press.