ThisIsNotAFugaziReview
Ian MacKaye understands and loves indie music. It shows in his label (Dischord), and the bands he plays in, including his newest venture, The Evens. Ian has teamed up with Amy Farina from the Warmers to make a simple, melodic, self-titled debut that shows what two people can do with such a minimalist style.With Ian playing guitar and singing, and Amy playing drums and balancing out the vocals with her own, sounds like an average idea at best. However, once the drum riff hits on album opener “Crude Bomb,” and Amy’s vocals kick in, it’s immediately apparent that this album is much different than the initial assumptions. Each song is catchy, with straightforward melodies that get stuck in your head, and vocals that act as another well played instrument.
Due to the fact that there is so little in the way of actual instrumentation, The Evens went out of their way to make this an intriguing listen. The drums and guitar both help in keeping rhythm duties, letting the vocals push the envelope, without any of it getting lost or forgotten.
Influences seem to be abundant on this disc, including Nirvana, The Pixies, Jawbreaker, and many other artists, making sure this disc is easily acceptable to most listeners. Even though it’s a relatively “poppy” album, it has a folk-inspired style that shows it is not a “pop” album, especially with more subdued tracks like “Minding One’s Business.”
Indie rock is alive and well. It doesn’t need fancy production, or hundreds of guest appearances and The Evens show that time and time again. All it needs is 2 vocalists, a drum kit, and a guitar.
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