The Modern Savage is a band that is very new to me, that I decided to write about on a whim. They bring to the table a brand of power pop in line with many music bloggers have been raving about for the past few years.

What sets The Modern Savage apart from the crowd is the vocal style, in my opinion. In this realm, I tend to hear a lot of shout-singing and at times shrill vocals – which have their merits. The Modern Savage brings to the table a vocal style more in line with what I’ve heard from a few more pop punk leaning female fronted bands. The singing is richer than I’m used to hearing over the top of noisier rock groups.

“No Love Lost” is an immediate stand out from the record for its distinctive bass line and its opening lyric of “there’s gonna be no love lost between us” – a definitive statement rather than a plea of someone in denial. The song is followed up by “Straight and Narrow,” which cements the band’s philosophy of not settling for the norm in rhythm structures in this genre.

Another standout from the record for me is “Neon Tongue,” a song that finds the band stretching vocal stylings out of their comfort zone amidst haunting melodies that somehow still tend to be uplifting. Continuing this theme is “Evil,” in which the band creeps toward indie pop territory, yet doesn’t abandon their uncompromising muscle behind each song. The oddly titled “Dead Presidents” brings us back into guitar-driven territory with the aforementioned strong, distinctive vocals and an uplifting melody.

If you want to brag to all your hipster friends about liking a band from Anchorage, The Modern Savage is probably a good place to start. Unwilling Participants is now out and if you want to rock out and be inspired by one woman’s journey, take a listen.

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Score: 4.1/5

The Modern Savage: iTunes | Facebook