Village Of Savoonga

Since Village Of Savoonga appeared on the scene back in 1992, the members of the band have gone on to bigger and better things, turning them unwillingly into a German super-group featuring members of the Notwist, Tied & Tickled Trio, Console and Lali Puna. While they were never the most prolific band (three albums in ten years), they did manage to gain a cult following and any new release is a notable event. This disc documents the band’s last ever live shows (at the Hausmusik Festival in 2001), and one that they regard as one of their best ever concerts. The seven songs are taken from all of their previous albums although most of them sound dramatically different because the band turned their back on their more recent ambient experiments preferring jarring guitars and feedback. The result is closer to Shellac than anyone else, with the band showing a level of aggression that they hadn’t hinted at since their debut. The ferocity, however, feels a little forced at times but there’s no doubting that this was a band who wanted to go out on top and that raw emotion is more than enough to carry them through their 40-minute set.