Veteran singer/songwriter Tom Savage has released his tenth album, 21st Century Lo-Fi, on all digital platforms and Bandcamp. The eight-song collection expands his familiar Roots Rock sound into previously uncharted territory, combined with lyrics that address many issues we are currently grappling with as a society. You can currently check out the album’s first single, “Down Here” which is “an indictment of economic disparity”.
Though Tom Savage has been making music for over 20 years, the pandemic essentially “brought him back to the beginning”. He began piecing together a new collection of songs much like he did when he first acquired a four-track cassette recorder as a teenager. With the benefits of digital technology, Savage could now send his multi-instrumental parts to his trusted rhythm section, bassist Jason Mercer (Ani DiFranco, Ron Sexsmith) and drummer Bonz Bowering.
Savage comments:
This record has a different feel than my previous albums, largely due to the circumstances under which it was recorded. I made use of virtual instruments—Midi, synths—to achieve the sound I was looking for, and I feel this record is the closest I’ve gotten to what I hear in my head. A benefit of the pandemic was the opportunity to focus my whole attention on this project, because in normal times, the recording process would be broken up with tour dates, and other business distractions.
Regarding “Down Here”, Savage says:
That song focuses on what I believe is a major issue we are currently facing in our society, and something that has really bubbled to the surface during the pandemic. I am a big proponent of universal basic income and wealth taxes to right the capitalist ship that has gotten even more askew over these past two years.
21st Century Lo-Fi’s sonic exploration “ignores any pre-conceived notions” and is described as “the pure expression of an artist taking stock of his surroundings with an unflinching eye”.
