Human Error/Human Delight

Whatever else you can say about them, SAVAK are a band who are willing to do the work. They formed in 2015, and 2022s Human Error/Human Delight is their fifth full-length release. In an era where its not at all unusual for bands to go three or four years between albums, that suggests they have a pretty impressive degree of hustle in them. The group didnt even let a little thing like a global pandemic stop them, and Human Error/Human Delight was written and recorded while the members -- Sohrab Habibion on vocals, guitars, and percussion; Michael Jaworski on vocals, guitars, bass, keys, and percussion; Matt Schulz on drums and percussion; and no fewer than six ringers playing bass -- could only communicate via Zoom. Despite the physical distance, SAVAK sound tight and unified on this album. While theyve maintained their core strengths (the edgy back-and-forth between Habibions and Jaworskis guitars and the lean, muscular force of the rhythms), theyve been growing as songwriters, and Human Error/Human Delight feels tuneful and engaging in fresh new ways for this band. "My Book on Siblings" and "Baltimore Moon" reflect what SAVAK have always done well, and the bleating sax on "Set Apart" adds a touch of no wave skronk thats made to order for them. At the same time, theres a poppy energy to "Empathy" and "Trashing the Ghost" that infuses some expressive jangle into their sound, the Neil Young-influenced guitar and sweetly mournful harmonies on "Dealers" suggest somebodys been listening to their old Buffalo Springfield records, and "Dumbiance" and "Oddsmaker" show theyve learned how to turn down their amps and let dynamics add welcome tension to the songs. Geoff Sanoffs production and mix are clear and forceful without sounding heavy-handed, and make this sound like the work of a band with a sense of unity and purpose, even if they were all in different places as they were recording. SAVAK know how to work hard under difficult conditions, and in this case its paid off -- Human Error/Human Delight is their most solid and effective album to date. ~ Mark Deming