Sean Nicholas Savage – Other Life

Sean Nicholas Savage – Other Life (Arbutus)

In February upcoming Montreal artists including Mac DeMarco, Doldrums and Majical Cloudz contributed to a compilation called Taste of Savage: His pupils sing his music. But who was this mysterious teacher? Apparently a very influential character by the name of Sean Nicholas Savage, around whom an entire community has developed even as he’s remained out of the limelight. The cover of Savage’s latest, Other Life, depicts two Sean Nicholas Savages, one peering out from behind the other like a shadow. The ideas of a fractured self and the blurring of reality and illusion are reflected throughout the album, from the lyrical themes to Savage’s use of cheesy, simplistic adult-contemporary instrumentation as a medium to convey poignant and fairly devastating sentiments. Even if you can’t get into the music, Other Life’s conceptual brilliance is pretty undeniable.