Stavesacre -- Speakeasy

10/10

At the turn-of-the-century, geriatric rock mags like Rolling Stone were looking for rock music's "new savior." "Can anyone save rock-and-roll?" they intoned again and again. "Will Creed save rock-and-roll?" "Will The Strokes save rock-and-roll?" Those are real questions they asked! Being geriatric and uncool and all, those publications failed to notice that there were actual rock bands making actual great music during that period, and the best rock album of 1999 might very well be Stavesacre's Speakeasy.
I came across Stavesacre like most people of the late 90's/early 00's would: by hearing them on both Napster and on a CD sampler. I was immediately hooked by their diverse musical palette and by just how huge they could sound. I first heard Speakeasy's "You Know How It Is," a fast-paced and heavy post-punk number, but then heard "Gold and Silver" immediately after. "Gold and Silver," is a beautiful, hopeful, building song, that ends an a huge, miraculously upbeat climax. At that point, I was already sold, and picked up Speakeasy at an actual store, in actual, compact-disc form.
I was immediately delighted to find that not only were the rest of the songs just as great as the previously mentioned, but that all 12 fit into a larger, perfect musical narrative. "You Know How It Is" actually serves the role of tension-riser, as it comes after the album's opening salvo of three rocking, but emotionally relaxed rock songs. It also leads into my favorite Stavesacre song, and quite possibly the best track about wanting to kill yourself ever recorded, "Rivers Underneath." I've gone to "Rivers Underneath" in a many a dark moment and found kinship. It's a dark, driving, emotionally punishing and relentless song, it's ending coda, "I'll see you when I see you." However, it's immediately followed by the uplifting "Gold and Silver," for an insanely high-quality one-two punch, leading into the gorgeous, spacious, seven-minute "Freefall," a song about grace and mercy that shows just how diverse Stavesacre's sound can be. This leads into the noisy, wonderful catharsis of "St. Eriksplan," which is the musical equivalent of skiing downhill through an avalanche and coming out the other side to a beautiful sunny, limitless vista...and then Speakeasy has three more tracks!
Stavesacre's unique sound is led by Mark Salomon's strong, distinctive, near indescribable vocals. The closest comparison I can give is...smooth Ozzy? They're a unique blend of classic hard rock vocalist, and prog-rock frontman...truly one of a kind. Ryan Denee's guitars here are excellent, with crunchy power chords jamming over distorted, watery leads. Dirk Lemmenes' basslines are distinctive as well, with a sort of wandering, yet driving Western feel, and a signature drop-D picking sound. As for Sam West's drums...I've compared this music to different forces of nature so often because that's just what his improv-leaning, roll heavy, cymbal-smashing style conjures.
So all that time those magazines who infinitely want to remind you that you missed the best times ever in the late 60's, and it will never be that good again were lamenting the death of rock, Stavesacre were making one of the greatest rock albums of the late 90's. And how much of a flash in the pan were The Strokes?


1999 Tooth & Nail Records
1. Minutemen 3:17
2. Sundown Motel 5:11
3. Keep Waiting 4:31
4. You Know How It Is 2:15
5. Rivers Underneath 6:12
6. Gold and Silver 5:11
7. Freefall (From Hand to Hand) 6:39
8. St. Eriksplan (Part I) 2:45
9. St. Eriksplan (Part II) 3:40
10. Disquiet 3:38
11. Fascination Street (The Cure cover) 4:05
12. This Love 6:31