Six years ago, Parquet Courts leader A. Savage released his solo debut Thawing Dawn. This fall, he’s doing it again. Savage recorded his new solo LP Several Songs About Fire in Brisol, with PJ Harvey producer John Parish producing. Savage got help from friends like Cate Le Bon and Modern Nature’s Jack Cooper, and the record includes “Thanksgiving Prayer,” the single that he released last month. Today, he’s shared “Elvis In The Army,” another new song.
“Elvis In The Army” is a bright, propulsive rocker that could’ve easily been a Parquet Courts song. A. Savage’s sharp writing and dour voice are distinctive enough that you could recognize them from outer space, and he sings about feeling displaced through the lens of Elvis Presley’s Armed Forces stint and “Joyce down in Trieste.”
Here’s what A. Savage says about both “Elvis In The Army” and his new LP:
We often describe ourselves in geographic terms. American, New Yorker — two terms that I’ve used to identify myself that have to do with being from or of a certain place. So “Elvis In The Army” is a bit of an inventory of those labels. They have less to do with geography than we realize. Really we’re just talking about ourselves, then framing certain characteristics geographically. No matter where I live, I’ll have an American psyche until the day I die, for better or for worse. I’ll always be of America. And I can’t imagine a time where New York doesn’t feel like home. But despite that, I’d rather not be associated with a place, at least for now…
I imagine myself playing these songs in a small club that is slowly burning. Fire is something you have to escape from, and in a way this album is about escaping from something. This album is a burning building, and these songs are things I’d leave behind to save myself.
In the months ahead, A. Savage will tour Europe and North America. Below, check out director Emile Moutaud’s “Elvis In The Army” video, an evocative montage of black-and-white still photos, as well as the Several Songs About Fire tracklist and Savage’s tour dates.
TRACKLIST:
01 “Hurtin’ Or Healed”
02 “Elvis In The Army”
02 “Le Grande Balloon”
04 “My My, My Dear”
05 “Riding Cobbles”
06 “Mountain Time”
07 “David’s Dead”
08 “Thanksgiving Prayer”
09 “My New Green Coat”
10 “Out Of Focus”
TOUR DATES:
9/30 – Newport, UK @ Murmuration Festival
10/20 – Portland, ME @ SPACE ^
10/21 – Boston, MA @ Crystal Ballroom ^
10/22 – Portsmouth, NH @ Press Room ^
10/24 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground ^
10/25 – Kalamazoo, MI @ Eccentric Cafe ^
10/27 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle ^
10/28 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club *
10/29 – Milwaukee, WI @ Colectivo #
10/30 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway %
11/01 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups %
11/02 – Louisville, KY @ Whirling Tiger %
11/03 – Nashville, TN @ Third Man %
11/04 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl %
11/05 – Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle
11/07 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle %
11/09 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat %
11/10 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian %
11/11 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom %
2/08 – Manchester, UK @ Pink Room
2/09 – Dublin, Ireland @ Workmans Club
2/10 – Glasgow, UK @ Broadcast
2/12 – Bristol, UK @ Thekla
2/14 – London, UK @ The Garage
2/15 – Paris, France @ La Maroquinerie
2/16 – Brussels, Belgium @ Botanique Rotonde
2/18 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso Upstairs
2/19 – Cologne, Germany @ MTC Club
2/21 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Ideal Bar – Vega
2/22 – Berlin, Germany @ Privat Club
2/25 – Austin, TX @ The Far Out
4/07 – Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf
4/09 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
4/10 – Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet’s
4/11 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
4/12 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Teragram Ballroom
4/13 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
4/15 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
4/16 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern
^ with Annie Hart
* with Cha Cha
# with Diet Lite
% with Sluice
Several Songs About Fire is out 10/6 on Rough Trade.
