Savoir Adore
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Savoir Adore

New York City, New York, United States | INDIE

New York City, New York, United States | INDIE
Band Alternative Pop

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This band has not uploaded any videos

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"MTV DJ KISS PICKS: Savoir Adore (video)"

MTV DJ KISS PICKS: Savoir Adore (video) - MTV


"Savoir Adore = MP3 of the Day"

The Scientific Findings of Dr. Rousseau,' Savoir Adore
From 2007's 'The Scientific Findings of Dr. Rousseau'

Sometimes life gets a little too busy to just appreciate new music. But one night, I stumbled into a bar on NYC's Lower East Side and instantly became entranced by the five-pience on stage. The band lured me in with their animated story of a recording session somewhere upstate New York, which was initially just a fun outing with two friends. But from that trip spawned a concept album which eventually turned into a live performing group called Savoir Adore.
As told by their anecdote, 'The Scientific Findings of Dr. Rousseau' was recorded in a homemade studio -- which meant nothing short of slamming doors, hitting their studio equipment and metal chairs to create sounds. The opening sequence, repetitive in nature, enticed me to keep listening. When the vocal line finally arrived, I was thrown in to a whirl -- hearing lyrics describe a man waking from his sleep to discover the secret of immortality. And almost abruptly, they scream "life after death, death after life." I became so connected to the 'scientific findings' that I, too, wanted to know the secret.

Plus, I have a hard time staying away from a song whose creators describe themselves as two singers "backed by a trained chorus of several small birds and band of guinea pigs on wheels." - AOL Spinner


"LiveDC: Bellflur/Savoir Adore/ Ra Ra Rasputin @ Velvet Lounge"

LiveDC: Bellflur/Savoir Adore/ Ra Ra Rasputin @ Velvet Lounge January 26, 2010 by salvatore
all photos: William Kamovitch

This year I have seen 46 concerts. I have seen the same band 6 different times and other various ones 2 or more times. Needless to say, it takes a lot for me to be wowed. Friday night at the Velvet Lounge, Savoir Adore wowed me in more ways than one.

The night started off with DC band Bellflur who are making serious headway in the blogosphere. They had a very good sound, which was reminiscent of Radiohead without Thom Yorke. The music was good, but the vocals lacked in places where they should have shined. Relying heavily on computer sounds and beats, the band also threw in voice clips from movies and broke up the songs with white noise and guitar effects. The one highlight of their set was their violinist who complimented the piano and guitar lines well. The songs never really climaxed to anything but rather kept a consistent groove for their 50 minute set.

Over the summer I ran Band Camp at the BYT pool parties and our sound guy said something to me that always stuck when watching bands. No matter what the conditions, the instruments, the atmosphere, if a band gets up on stage and is set up and ready to play within 10 minutes, they know what they are doing. Savoir Adore was that band. Within the time it took me to go downstairs and get a drink the band was already on stage doing a quick soundcheck and soon after jumped into their first song. The main 3 members Deidre Muro, Paul Hammer, and David Perlick-Molinari all attended NYU and post-graduation moved to Brooklyn. Producers by day, they understand the music and how things should sound. There was not an errant note or chord, everything that was sung was done in perfect balance and harmony. Highlights from the show included tracks from their new album In the Wooded Forest, “We Talk Like Machines” and “Bodies.” After the show I had the chance to catch up with the band and chat with them about their album, their work with MGMT (for which David was the producer), and their life in Brooklyn (where I will soon be moving). They were so humble and great to talk to. We had about a half an hour conversation which is more talk than I was expecting. Savoir Adore is a class act and a great bunch of musicians and this show ranks in the top 5 concerts I’ve attended this year, I will definitely be seeing them again. They will be back at the Velvet Lounge on March 25th with local favorites Deleted Scenes, I highly suggest you attend.

I stuck around for about 10 minutes of the Ra Ra Rasputin set as it was getting late, their infectious grooves and synthesq pop always provides for a good time. I love the Joy Division vocal style and the real combination of the 70’s, 80’s, and early 90’s sound they achieve. I’d have a longer write up on them, but by this point if you haven’t seen them you should, and if you have then you know what’s up. If not just ask BYT contributor Patrick Kigongo, he knows what’s up too. - BrightestYoungThings


"Savoir Adore: 8 NYC Bands You Need to Hear 2009"

Savoir Adore got its start as a two-piece consisting of singer-songwriter Deidre Muro on keyboards, and Paul Hammer on drums. As the tale goes, they took a trip to a small town in Upstate New York, conceiving a story along the way about an affair between a student and a professor. Holed up in Hammer’s parents’ house, the two would turn the story into the songs that made up their debut EP, The Adventures of Mr. Pumpernickel and the Girl With the Animals in Her Throat. It’s a strange little twelve-song suite, with lyrics that border on mystical and a sense of musical adventurousness that takes them through fairly straightforward folk, cutesy electro-pop and some other stuff that sounds half like gypsy music and half like Joanna Newsom, less the harp and the totally kooky voice, if that makes any sense. They’ve since become a six-piece, and they’ve started to earn attention from the blogs for their live shows. They’ve got a full-length scheduled to be released on Cantora Records this year, but the first single, the instant-hit “We Talk Like Machines,” is available now. - L Magazine


"NODZZZ, WAVVES...Savoir Adore, TPOPBAH, YO DOO swap & more in This Week in Indie"

...One of my favorite new local bands, Savoir Adore, are playing Thursday at Bowery Ballroom, opening for Francis and the Lights. Fronted by Deidre Muro and Paul Hammer, Savoir Adore make the kind pristine guitar pop you used to hear a lot with '80s bands like The Go-Betweens and Let's Active but isn't so much in fashion these days. They aren't too far away from what Stars do, either, though less grandiose if you know what I mean. Ther EP Savoir Adore have out on Cantora Records is good, but is a concept record fairy tale thing that is good but not a very good introduction to the band. (Their proper debut will be out on Cantora this summer.) I've seen them a couple times and they are very, very good live. If you don't check them out at Bowery, keep their name in mind. Definitely one of my Bands to Watch in '09. - Brooklyn Vegan


"Savoir Adore Blows The Roof Off Of Death By Audio"

If you've never heard of Savoir Adore, you will. As long as the Almighty God of Indie Rock is a just and righteous god, the pop rock quartet headed by co-songwriters Paul Hammer and Deidre Muro is fixin' to explode. Their set at Death by Audio on Tuesday drove this home with a wild, pop-inflected vengeance. A few months ago, I stumbled across them opening for Bishop Allen at MHoW, and they were really damn good. But this week they brought out the heavy artillery--an arsenal of new songs from their upcoming full-length debut, In the Wooded Forest--and they proved themselves serious contenders for the title of Most Underrated Band in Brooklyn.

Savoir's brand of fairy tale pop has always been strong in the hooks department, but their new songs had a new level of sophistication and their older songs sounded more fleshed out. The encore, a barn-burning fist-in-the-air anthem with the unlikely title of "Transylvanian Candy Patrol," took advantage of Hammer's ample riffing skills and Muro's spectacularly emotive voice and left the crowd floored (especially a pack of drunken Deidre-admirers behind me, who, once they found out her name, proceeded to chant it at every opportunity). The track (available for free online listening here), is great recorded, but you need to see them live to hear it in all its distorted, Pixies-evoking glory. - Free Williamsburg


"NPR Song of the Day: Savoir Adore - Dreams Of Warmer Days"

Sprightly and uplifting, Savoir Adore's "EarlyBird" offers an optimistic dispatch from the depths of late winter.
Tuesday's Pick

* Song: "EarlyBird"
* Artist: Savoir Adore
* CD: In the Wooded Forest
* Genre: Pop

July 14, 2009 - The Brooklyn-based duo of Deidre Muro and Paul Hammer, Savoir Adore makes what sometimes gets called "fantasy pop." Muro and Hammer share songwriting, singing and instrument-playing duties, and a sense of the whimsical and the magical informs both their 2008 EP Mr. Pumpernickel and the Girl With Animals in her Throat and their new full-length, In the Wooded Forest. Their songs are full of fairies romping in woodlands and animals holding court in faraway lands, so it's no big surprise that their outlook on record is irrepressibly optimistic.

"EarlyBird" is no exception. Perhaps the sprightliest and most uplifting of In the Wooded Forest's many sprightly and uplifting tracks, the song features a narrator broadcasting from late winter. The days are short, the grass is dead and everyone is cranky, but she refuses to let it get her down. Instead, she daydreams about warmer days, imploring her partner to simply close his eyes and imagine. "What if we could just float above it / Trading place with the sun?" Muro sings, before concluding, "Night retreats, we'll get back on our feet / Leave the winter behind as we head towards the heat." Hammer plays a brief, tense electric guitar solo that gives way to a comforting acoustic turn and the ecstatic final chorus, at which point warm days have arrived. - NPR Music


"Williamsburg: Amazing Baby vs. Savoir Adore"

Williamsburg: Amazing Baby vs. Savoir Adore

by: Ben Westhoff

Psychedelic indie act Amazing Baby has been in existence for less than two years. In that time, they’ve signed a record deal, filmed a video with naked hipster babes, rode a giant wave of blog hype, and partied with Bill Murray, who saw one of their shows and recruited them to help him find the fountain of youth.

Savoir Adore, meanwhile, arrived on the scene with just as much talent but far less razzle-dazzle. Though, like Amazing Baby, they hail from that mecca of artsy privilege, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, their irrepressibly giddy, pure pop tunes haven’t set the buzz machine in motion for some reason. While plenty of folks have fallen for their album In the Wooded Forest, the Fader profiles, groupies, and movie star camaraderie have been slow in coming.

Both groups have benefited from ties to MGMT, the psych-rock outfit that found worldwide success last year. Savoir Adore signed with Cantora, the indie label that released MGMT’s 2005 Time to Pretend EP, while Amazing Baby’s guitarist Simon O’Connor palled around with MGMT’s Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser at Wesleyan College, itself something of an indie music farm system.

O’Connor and Amazing Baby’s other founding member, lead singer Will Roan, met each other after their college bands were booked together for a New York show. “I think I was hooking up with the same girl at the same time as someone in Simon’s band,” says Roan, adding that he’s fairly certain it wasn’t O’Connor.

They played a number of shows together, and after O’Connor graduated, he moved into a pad in Brooklyn, where Roan would crash whenever he came down for the weekend during his final year at Bard College. The pair began collaborating on various band projects and later worked together in a music distribution office, where their duties included crafting ringtones. In 2008, they formed Amazing Baby, focusing on a studio-centric sound that included layer upon layer of percussion, guitar, and keyboards. Their live shows, meanwhile, featured as many as 10 people on stage at a time, and early praise for the group was swift and unequivocal. “I think people liked the spectacle of this crazy band,” Roan says. Eventually, the lineup was rounded out with bassist Don Devore, guitarist Rob Laakso, and drummer Matt Abeysekera.

After releasing an EP called Infinite Fucking Cross last summer, they were pursued by a number of labels and ultimately signed with Shangri-La, who put out their full-length debut, Rewild, in June. Many of the reviews focused on the album’s seemingly hallucinogenic-powered prog, psych, and goth rock, as well as the group’s hipster aesthetic. Some of this had to do with their video for Rewild track “Headdress”, which featured topless girls, wearing paint and capes, prancing around in the woods.

Then there was the encounter with Bill Murray, who dropped in on their 2008 Halloween show wearing a rubber mask with black glasses. He and Roan hung out all night long, attending a house party, smoking cigarettes on a roof, and drinking bourbon on a friend’s couch. Notes Roan: “It’s one of the few stories I can tell where my mom is jealous.”

Savoir Adore’s story is far less flashy. Principal members Paul Hammer and Deidre Muro met while students at NYU, where Hammer played in a group catering to “sorority girls,” he says. Both possessing musical backgrounds, they decided to play a show together and then later conceived an album almost spontaneously. While on a train ride to visit Hammer’s parents at their home in a bucolic section of Holmes, New York, Hammer and Muro brainstormed the plot for what would become their first EP, The Adventures of Mr. Pumpernickel and the Girl with Animals in Her Throat. A concept record focusing on a professor and his meetings with a troubled student and a fairy who lives among the trees, it showcased the pair’s great talents for collaboration. Taking turns on vocals and instruments, they introduced the harmony-heavy, ever-sincere fantasy pop that would become their signature sound.

They return regularly to Holmes, where Hammer’s father Jan—a jazz and rock Courtesy of Savoir Adorekeyboardist who was enormously popular in the ’70s and ’80s and crafted the Miami Vice theme song—has a studio. Savoir Adore recorded In the Wooded Forest there, trading off on guitar, drums, and bass for hours at Hammer’s studio, which actually is ensconced in the middle of a wooded forest. While successfully employing a sound that suits their strengths, the full-length lacks a unified storyline like their EP, but boasts more fleshed-out tracks. At times, the preciousness can be a bit overwhelming, but songs on the album like “MERP” and “Early Bird” are as euphoric and hummable as anything to come out of Williamsburg this past year.

Their work seems not to contain an ounce of pretension. Savoir Adore certainly isn’t trying to impress anyone with their cool, and their seeming lack of self-consciousness is responsible for much of their appeal.

Amazing Baby also developed much of their music during long jam sessions. While employed at the music distribution company, they spent their evenings making music until the wee hours, allowing themselves only as much sleep as was absolutely necessary. Their goals were somewhat different from Savoir Adore’s, however. Roan told Spin that they were “desperate to convey a feeling of ecstasy.” Indeed, almost every one of their tracks is epic, or at least strives to be epic. While they often succeed in this regard—songs like “Kankra” and “Pump Your Brakes” are full, bombastic, and satisfying—it often feels like they’re breaking off more than they can chew. Much of Rewild lags, bogged down by excessive instrumental wankery and semi-pretentious lyrics that are difficult to wrap one’s mind around. (“We are starving cannibals / She protects her animals,” from “Smoke Bros”, has been particularly derided.)

With only one album each to judge them on, one could make a pretty good case that both Amazing Baby and Savoir Adore have the potential for long, gratifying careers. For the time being, however, the latter act’s less pretentious way of conducting business has led to a more satisfying catalog.

- Crawdaddy Magazine


"Obscure Sound: Savoir Adore Review"

Savoir Adore

Posted by Mike Mineo on 11/18/09

Spontaneity is a trait that all fine artists have, regardless of whether it arises daily or once every few years. Immediately connecting with an emotion, object, or individual is rare enough, so to produce a work of art from it requires the most gifted of abilities. This type of spontaneous chemistry was evident between Deidre Muro and Paul Hammer from the get-go. That the two would conspire to create an epic concept album over the short span of a weekend is indicative enough of their ambitious similarities, but when the two started recording it became apparent that their collaboration was unique. The sessions resulted in The Adventures of Mr Pumpernickel and the Girl with Animals in her Throat, which was a strong debut EP that flashed an act with no frontman or singular creative force. Rather, a true collaboration of sorts was shown in motion that was impressive even without knowing it took only a weekend to accomplish. After that recording session and the subsequent formation of Savoir Adore, the experiment-turned-project began to pick up some buzz around their native Brooklyn. A few notable shows had impressed, as the two multi-instrumentalists always put forth a factor of unpredictability. They share singing and instrumental duties, each doing so in an equal manner that becomes reliant on their two abilities alone. In that case, it is hardly surprising why their new album, In the Wooded Forest, is their best yet.

Following the oddly titled but successful The Adventures of Mr Pumpernickel and the Girl with Animals in her Throat, the success of In the Wooded Forest should have hardly been a surprise to fans. Its predecessor was put out before Savoir Adore even officially formed and it was impressive enough, so one could correctly assume the new effort is one of studied and cumulative experience. The truth is, while The Adventures of Mr Pumpernickel showed their potential, this will be one of those cases where the debut will be overshadowed by a massive follow-up. Sunset Rubdown’s Shut Up I Am Dreaming is a recent example, one where Spencer Krug excelled his blatant talent to dizzying heights over a short span of time. In the Wooded Forest is engaging partly because it shows the development of two songwriters instead of just one. The Adventures of Mr Pumpernickel showed some individual quirks – like Muro’s delicately intricate use of keyboards or Hammer’s impressive rhythmic structures – but In the Wooded Forest expands upon this even further by making their sophisticated songcraft now available in addition to an already-impressive use of keyboards, percussion, and other backing instruments.

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While they do occasionally bring out bare accompaniments of keyboards and percussion that is bound to draw up comparisons to The xx and others of that recent mold, Savoir Adore implement more variety in their works even if it sacrifices the accessibility as a result. It is a bit contradictory in saying that because the hooks throughout the album are excellent, but arriving there often takes some interesting maneuvers that prove beneficial despite any initial qualms. “The Scientific Findings of Dr. Rousseau”, for instance, steadily evolves from serene electro-pop minimalism to richly produced indie-rock. Personal tastes may cause some to stop halfway through and others to skip to the halfway point, but those that admire both the attempted styles of electro-pop and generalized alt-rock will find great pleasure here. Identifying the true hooks here is entirely subjective due to the revolving stylistic nature, which is a wonderful attribute of many tracks throughout In the Wooded Forest. Their songwriting now seems inspired by the musical chemistry Muro and Hammer had upon meeting; it is a chemistry which is still kicking and stronger than ever.

More conventional efforts like “We Talk Like Machines” tout clever analogies concerning humanity’s slow descent into automation, all while emitting an amiable sort of indie-rock that resembles more chamber-pop than alt-rock with Muro’s cooing vocals and Hammer’s steady percussion. The guitar work is rarely shown beyond a few repeating chords, but intricacy is not the allure here. As any diligent students of electronic music would do, the marvel here is in the multiple layers of constructing sound. The different tones of guitars clash with synthesizers of a higher pitch to distinguish their masterful overlapping even more prominently, which serves as one example of great production on this album. Concluding moments bring to mind groups like the Postal Service and others that opt for occasional post-rock progressions within accessible indie-rock. The flair of that is added nicely on “We Talk Like Machines” before concluding with a repetition of the chorus. The rest of In the Wooded Forest is much like this, a collection of delightful three-minute efforts that enjoyably sit the fine line between electro-pop and indie-rock. They blend the reverb-filled pop of groups like Beach House and Grizzly Bear with the chilly electro-pop tinge of Air or The xx, resulting in an exceptional debut full-length that may appear as a surprise on many year-end lists.

RIYL: Beach House, Grizzly Bear, The xx, Postal Service, Broken Social Scene, Menomena, Hot Chip, Clues - Obscure Sound


"CONCERT REVIEW: Savoring Savoir"

The Forward Music Festival was made home to three distinctly different types of bands last weekend.

The first is the locals, which lay the foundation for the festival. Some are more established than others, but for the most part, the public has a certain degree of familiarity with them.

At the opposite end of the spectrum are the headliners. Chances are they don't hail from Madison, but the audiences undoubtedly know who they are. They've received some share of media attention and were brought in to put their names at the top of the promotional posters.

The final, much less well-defined group is that of outsider bands without massive appeal. They're not from Wisconsin, yet their names don't instantly resonate with a typical music fan. These bands drove 10 hours from the East and West coasts to play to two-dozen people at odd times during the day, knowing that most of the audience will wait until the last minute just to catch a showcase's big act. And chances are that once their set is over, they'll drive right back. They represent the gritty essence of rock and roll, and in the case of Savoir Adore, they're fantastic.

It was around 10 p.m. Saturday night when Savoir Adore took to the High Noon stage. The last showcase on the docket, much of the crowd was outside enjoying conversation and cigarettes, waiting for Solid Gold to close out three days of head nodding and venue hopping. But those inside were treated to live music at its finest. There was energy, precision and beauty in the way Savoir Adore went about their craft, transforming what can often come off as "just more indie music" into something truly unique and immensely enjoyable.

To be fair, it is still indie music. Listening to their debut LP, "In The Wooded Forest," instills the same fears generally associated with the indie scene: airy vocals and lots of sound, but a serious lack of motion. The album is good, but it doesn't have much punch. Translated to a live show, this typically means an overuse of keyboards and too much standing around. But there's a reason the musical landscape is not painted with such broad strokes, and Savoir Adore delivered live in places where some of their studio work does not.

Officially, Savoir Adore is only a two-piece band, with Deidre Muro and Paul Hammer doing all the heavy lifting. On stage, however, it's a five-piece, and while Muro and Hammer handle the vocal work, it's easy to see that five is greater than two.

Bassists live in the shadows. Maybe it's because they rarely get solos, or because they only have four strings to choose from, but in the end, it's just not much of an alluring instrument. After all, you don?t see many kids rushing out to buy "Bass Hero." With Savoir Adore, though, the bass made it's presence known, not as a heavy, underlying force, but almost as a third guitar. High-registry riffs filled occasional spots of dead air, making the audience notice it. This wasn?t head-down, driving bass; it was flashy, and it was a welcome surprise.

The vocals were equally great, with both Muro and Hammer showing serious pipes. Although there is a strain of thought, espoused primarily by one gentleman in the audience, that "good singers are dime a dozen," nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, when the young philosopher gave an impromptu demonstration of his reasoning, the results worked largely to refute his point. Fortunately, if one wanted to drone out the whispers of concert commentators, all that needed to be done was tune into Savoir Adore's soaring vocals.

They played like rock stars, yet there was little sense of glamour or entitlement. This is the life of the middle tier, where the bands that aren't hometown heroes or critic's darlings march down broken paths of greatness and obscurity. These are bands that do awesome work with very little emphasis on the "awe." Shortly after Savoir Adore unplugged their instruments and walked off stage, their thoughts moved from the night at hand to the night ahead. A long trip back to Brooklyn was in order, and it goes without saying they're a few paychecks short of that Lear jet. But for one night, they could've easily gone toe-to-toe with any titan of rock, and it's a shame there weren't more people around to notice it.
- Madison Magazine/Channel3000


Discography

"Mr Pumpernickel and the Girl With the Animals In Her Throat" EP.

"In the Wooded Forest" LP

Streaming and radio airplay - both online (Pandora, Last.Fm, etc.) and on National, College and Community radio stations in the US, Canada and the UK. BBC Radio 1 UK and Wales. BBC 6 Record of the week, July 2010. Tracks that are playing include: We Talk Like Machines, Bodies, Early Bird, Honestly, and The Scientific Findings of Dr. Rousseau.

Photos

Bio

If you're not familiar with the back-story of Savoir Adore, what began as a 48-hour challenge between two best friends blossomed into one of Brooklyn's most exciting and unique young bands. With an experimental approach to their writing and recording, Paul Hammer and Deidre Muro weave a magical musical tapestry with their distinct voices, lush harmonies, and wild sonic palette. Somewhere between dream pop and adventure wave, their songs transport you to a world that is both foreign and warmly familiar. With the release of their debut album "In The Wooded Forest" behind them, Savoir Adore are continuing their musical adventures into uncharted territories. With new songs and a captivating show that constantly evolves to accommodate their dynamic creative vision, the band will play SXSW in March and then head back into the studio to explore the unknown.

Have performed as support for MGMT, Bishop Allen and Los Campesinos!
"10 Musicians to watch in 2010 - The Best Kept Secret" - NY Post
BBC 6 Record of the Week - July 2010
Selected by Marc Jacobs for in-store playlists and free retail download program
Selected for MTVu's "Ahead of the Curve"
One of L Magazine's featured "8 Bands You Need To Hear"
Called "One of my bands to watch in 2009" on Brooklyn Vegan
Spinner.com featured "Machines" as song of the day
From the label that released MGMT's debut release