Dischord Records
Released: 10.18.06
Ian Mackaye is all grown up and he plays sitting down now as the strumming half of The Evens.
But the fire is still there and though the lyrics and instrumentation both are more direct, stripped down, a pillowcase next to Fugazi's tapestry, the stitches are still tight --how corny, right-- and their second album Get Evens makes your room a little better to be in.
Mackaye's jangly syncopated change-ups are there, though he lingers more in the slow melodious realm, singing more than yelling, strumming more than assaulting, though there's some of that too. And let's not forget The Evens' other half, Amy Farina who not only lays down some snappy drum action, but awful strong, purdy vocals to boot.
A lot of the album is overtly political with jabs at Bush like, 'everybody knows you are a liar', 'you're fired!', and 'your plate is overflowing, can't you see you've had enough' peppered throughout. This would be distracting if they weren't so damned earnest. When trying to get a singalong going at The Evens' show at St. John's Church last month, Mackaye implored the small audience, 'come on now, nobody try to be cool.' This totally unhip sincerity (singalongs at a show! huh?) comes through on the album, and whether or not you voted on the 7th, or like Fugazi, or shop at Diesel, or whatever, the uptempo optimism of Get Evens might just make you smile.
It's not Fugazi nor is it Anti Flag and it's certainly not 'Ian Mackaye's new side project', it's just two friends making music together. Aw.
- Nathan Tempey
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