I can’t remember a time when I was not a fan of Ian MacKaye.
First, Minor Threat made thinking-person’s Hardcore, as well as being a huge contributor to the movement that became known as Straight Edge. Then, later in the 1980’s, Fugazi appeared and made some of the best music of that time (of ALL time – Ed.), continuing to evolve for another dozen years before going on hiatus in the early 2000’s.
The common denominator in all this, and half of the group The Evens (the subject of this write-up), is Ian MacKaye, or to quote our Dear Leader, Founder and Music-Lover-in-Chief here at E&D: Ian Fucking MacKaye.
It is with a great deal of excitement that I write this review of ‘The Odds’, The Evens‘ latest record (and their first in 6 years). The Evens is comprised of MacKaye and his wife (domestic partner?) Amy Farina, with both singing. MacKaye’s signature baritone guitar features prominently, and Farina drums. This is not groundbreaking music, but it’s a good record, especially when you listen to the lyrics and know the context in which MacKaye has been making music for the last 3 decades; these songs are folk protest songs.
It seems that MacKaye has found his match and mate in Farina, whose worldview seems to mirror that of MacKaye’s – famously sardonic and often acidic. Refrains like “Jails in search of prisoners” and “Sooner or later, the help arrives”’ wouldn’t be out of place in early Dylan or Woody Guthrie protest songs from the Great Depression.
From about the second bar of the first track, ‘King of Kings’, I could have guessed the vocalist even if I did not know who it was: MacKaye’s plaintive bleating is as familiar and comfortable as a trusted pair of slippers. Farina and MacKaye sound like they probably really enjoy singing together, and their harmonies are easy and unforced. MacKaye’s baritone guitar is also very distinctive, and features prominently. As an album opener, this track grabbed my interest.
Track 2 is the aforementioned ‘Wanted Criminals’ (“Jails in search of prisoners”), which seems to be taking shots at agencies here in the US in the Post-9/11 world that use paranoia and scare tactics to try and keep people in line. Maybe not, but it’s a faster, harder track and is mostly MacKaye on vocals, which is always good.
Skipping over a couple of tracks (‘I Do Myself’ and ‘Warble Factor’), the next track of note is ‘Sooner or Later’ (which I also referenced earlier). I’m not totally sure what the song is really about, but it’s a haunting, sort of meandering track which transitions into the excellent instrumental ‘Wonder Why’, which is like semi-acoustic post-punk, noise-rock without the noise. In my car CD player, there is no break between the two songs, which I felt made it an even better ‘song’ before I realized it was in fact two.
Following that couplet of goodness is the sarcastic, Lounge Act crooning of ‘Competing with the Till’, and I know for a fact what this song is about: Music venue owners being completely in it for the money. If you didn’t know, all of MacKaye’s groups play at mainly non-traditional venues for all ages audiences, and often refused to charge more than a few Dollars (or Pounds, etc). This song makes me chuckle; the disgust of a music group trying to have integrity, running up against a club owner that only sees people as profit is evident.
The last track I can cover, in the interest of not going too far over word count, is the incomparable and melancholy ‘Timothy Wright’. It tells the story of a man that has nothing and is losing his mind and, sadly, his life. I find myself, masochistic lover of sad songs that I am, coming back to this one over and over. This is probably my favourite track overall at the moment. The final refrain of “But it really doesn’t matter now” gets me every time; Farina and MacKaye escalate the song just right.
The Evens are, like all of MacKaye’s bands, based in the US capitol city, Washington DC, which has a litany of social issues, and all of them are fair game for songs on ‘The Odds’. Subjects like gentrification, poverty, and disease all turn up. In spite of all the negative, the record is listenable and has a great flow that I imagine to be born out of a mutual respect and love shared by the couple. With The Evens, you are listening to people who love and respect their music, and who treat their fans with love and respect; they really put their money where their mouth is.
No, it’s not Fugazi-lite, and I wouldn’t want it to be! Give it a go, you’ll like it.
Released November 20th through Dischord.
Posted by Jake Gillen.
