The amazing new album from NYC’s very own Savoir Adore, The Love That Remains, is out now, and it’s been soundtracking our life non-stop for the past few weeks! Full of soaring synths, stirring melodies, and powerful vocals, Paul Hammer & co have delivered a truly masterful listening experience. Huge 80s-style pop sounds and indelible melodies give the record a vast landscape of emotion, with each song coming into its own and maintaining its own meaning and personality. It’s the perfect record for the lazy hours that mark the last few weeks of summer, with songs like the danceable “Paradise Gold” and the anthemic “Giants” deserving some top spots on your playlists. To get a look into the making of The Love That Remains, we talked to Paul about some of the songs that influenced the album.
Playlist
Fleetwood Mac – Gypsy
This is my favorite Fleetwood Mac song and probably the song I listened to the most in the last 3 years. It’s effortless and beautiful, and it’s simplicity makes it even more powerful. Every time I put it on, I feel everything at once.
Cut Copy – Saturdays
To this day, my favorite musical moment and probably most influential was seeing Cut Copy in London at Trash in 2005. It was a very exciting time for music in general and I’d never seen anything like this… A live band in a small dance club playing house music with guitars!? It was absolutely breathtaking and this song was the epitome of that feeling, then and still now. I listen to this song anytime I need a reminder of that feeling.
Bleachers – I Wanna Get Better
I remember when this song was first posted, and I just had this feeling it was going to be amazing… It was at a rough point for me in the process of our new album, and as soon as I heard this song it gave me an incredible amount of new motivation. Jack has this amazing ability to write songs that are both super honest and genuine, but also larger-than-life… It’s the epitome of what I hope our music can be.
St. Lucia – Elevate
This is another perfect example of a song that matches emotion, with arrangement and song. I’ll never forget seeing this song live for the first time, and we’ve been lucky enough to play with St. Lucia and become good friends with them over the years. I still come back to this song frequently and it reminds me how powerful a song can be when it’s crafted just right – equal parts emotion and energy.
Panama – Always (Classixx Remix)
One of my favorite remixes of the last few years, this is again a perfect example of a guitar driven dance song done just right. It’s also a perfect mood – equal parts tropical and carefree, and romantic and emotional.
ASTR – R U With Me
This was another one of those songs that as soon as I heard it, I listened about 20 times. It’s a simple powerful love song, but wrapped in a saturated dreamy crunch of a beat. Listening to this song gave me a ton of ideas for arrangement and beat production.
Blood Orange – You’re Not Good Enough
Dev Hynes can do no wrong in my mind. There’s just so much style and elegance to his music, and his vocals always hit me so hard. This song and most of his catalog was a big inspiration on the more romantic soulful moments on our record, especially “Lovers Wake.”
MUNA – Winterbreak
MUNA played right after us at our SXSW showcase this year and when I got home I couldn’t stop listening to this song. The vocal phrasing reminds me of Cocteau Twins but with an edgier more modern approach, just gorgeous and unique.
Grimes – REALiTi (Demo)
One thing I love about Grimes is how futuristic her music sounds… It sounds retro, but as if we were in the year 2064 or something. This was another song that when I heard last year it completely blew me away. I was on a late night midi tear when I took a break and stumbled across this song… I think I listened through about 100 times that first night I heard this and memorized every synth line. Just so inspirational, and a fun reminder to keep finding and incorporating new sounds.
Pure Bathing Culture – Pray for Rain
One of my favorite songs of last year, also racked up about 100 plays the first week I heard it. That guitar riff and Sarah’s vocals are just incredible. Another great match of emotion and arrangement. This song was a big inspiration for both Lauren and I when we were working on the more guitar-oriented tracks on the record.
Son Lux – Change is Everything
This song (and the video in case you haven’t seen it) is just pure emotional art. There’s no compromising or shortcuts in their music, and it’s just incredibly, incredibly inspiring to listen to every time. To me this song continuously reminded me to take my time and not to settle for anything less than exactly what I wanted. This song was also a big influence on our song “Giants,” the angular phrasing and aggressive but emotional percussion was a big inspiration. It’s all about making bold decisions and sticking to them, which is often harder said than done.
