ALEXANDRA SAVIOR Sun 7/29 Doug Fir
ALEXANDRA SAVIOR Sun 7/29 Doug Fir ELIOT LEE HAZEL

Forget the fact that Alexandra Savior was tipped by Courtney Love as the next big thing while she was still in high school, or that she’s got a collaborative relationship with Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys. The proof of the Portland singer/songwriter’s creative cool is evident throughout her 2017 debut LP, Belladonna of Sadness. The record marinated for a long time thanks to the incubatory baby steps taken by her label (ahem, Columbia Records).

Despite that stasis, the songs seem vibrant, new, and even a bit timeless, especially velvety crushers like opening track “Mirage,” which laments the plight of puppeteered pop-stars. “La-di-dah/I sing songs about/Whatever the fuck they want,” Savior quips in what sounds like a clap-back against the mainstream career she’s rumored to have been groomed for, as evidenced by the fact that an ex ecutive from another record label once asked if she’d prefer to be more like Katy Perry or P!nk.

Thankfully (with respect to Perry and P!nk), Savior chose her own path, and sardonically barbecues the industry that attempted to nurture her. Her performances cast an enchanting shadow, and she tackles the bewitching songs from Belladonna of Sadness with dark humor that endears listeners to follow her rapturously through hypnotic wormholes of warbled pop, not unlike the similarly enigmatic artistic path of Fiona Apple. Shortcut comparisons aside, Savior is bound to convert even the most jaded within a song or two.