free variable

I found out about The Evens, Ian MacKaye’s most recent project, via Steven Zydek’s review in Crux. I listened to a few snippets of their self-titled CD from the iTunes Music Store, determined that I’d probably like it (and that Andrea might as well), and bought the disc downtown last Friday.

I like it a great deal, as “post-rock” goes. (That’s not a value judgment; rather, it is an acknowledgment that I listen for different things in different sorts of music.) The texture is refreshingly thin, featuring simply baritone guitar, a small drum kit, and male and female vocals. Such an economy of materials requires a sort of songwriting that needn’t hide behind production trickery, ad-jingle hooks, and walls of noise. As one might expect, MacKaye and cohort Amy Farina are up to the task.

I don’t have a full review of “The Evens”. Instead, I just offer my verdict that it’s probably worth buying. The Crux review goes into greater detail about the musical and textual aspects of the album, and I recommend it if you’re not sold by my vague endorsement. Zydek’s piece is also notable for its analysis of the punk-rock and straight-edge scenes, such as they were, and how MacKaye’s personal foci have progressed and shifted since his days as a member of both.