I’ve been finding myself behind the wheel a whole lot more than usual lately. Braving the horrors of L.A. traffic is not for the faint of heart, and a man needs to find solace in the confines of his little Japanese driving machine if he’s going to make it crosstown with sanity intact. Recently, that solace has been coming out of my mp3 player in the form of Les Savy Fav. Although by no means obscure, it still surprises me how many people call my radio show to find out “who was that awesome band” that i just played.

As their website proudly proclaims, Les Savy Fav have been “missing out on cashing in for over a decade.” They formed in 1995 while attending the Rhode Island School of Design. Within a couple of years, they had established a sound that has been plaigarized and bastardized countless times over. When you listen to Inches, their collection of singles spanning nearly a decade, you can’t help but ask, “Why in the hell isn’t this band huge?”

In addition to being a tremendous band, they also subscibe to the DIY ethic founded by bands like Fugazi and their Dischord label. Their bassist, Syd Butler, runs the label Les Savy Fav currently reside with, French Kiss. They’ve also done great releases from Lifter Puller, The Bloodthirsty Lovers, and The Big Sleep, to mention a few. Les Savy Fav have a new cd in the works, and I’ll go on record saying that it will probably be as excellent as all of their previous recordings. I’ll keep you posted when that gets released.

Check out the tracks I’ve posted below, but you really owe it to yourself to just go buy Inches. If Les Savy Fav is new to you, and you’re thinking you haven’t heard anything intelligent that truly rocks in awhile… add it to your list for that next record shopping trip.

It doesn’t happen often, but if Les Savy Fav come to your town to play live, cancel dinner at your grandma’s house to go. Vocalist Tim Harrington is a brilliant lunatic in concert. If you’re not wowed by his between-song non-sequiturs and covered in his sweat by the end of the show, then you’re not standing close enough. They’ll be in your Top Ten Favorite Shows of All Time… that’s a promise.

New Releases 6.26.07: Re-releases from Amon Duul & Metric. Frank Black gets the greatest hits treatment. New release from local Los Angeles band, Great Northern. And for the truly pretentious, John Zorn is releasing another mystically themed opus entitled From Silence to Sorcery.