What does it mean to be Indie? Is it shorthand for
independently produced, that is without the backing of a major label, or other corporate
entity? Does it connote something that cannot be represented under pre-placed
genre classifications? Nowadays, I see that it serves as a catchall for music
that cannot wholly be considered mainstream. My understanding of the origin of
Indie-rock goes like this: It started with some crazy kids in the 80s and 90s
that wanted to create something a little different, a bit undercooked, al dente
if you will, a divergence from commercialization and commodification of rock
music. It defined an era of underground creation, but has morphed over time and
altogether lost its original meaning. Washington, D.C.’s The Evens are a band
that has held on to the sound of Indie Rock in the spirit of its origin.
The Evens are Ian MacKaye and Amy Farina, husband and wife
duo. The band’s latest album, The Odds,
begins with a track sung by Farina. Her
vocal delivery establishes the punk attitude of the band. The Evens’ sound is
raw and stripped down. They are after all a duo, but that does not always
translate to a minimal sounding studio record. In this case it has. Aside from
a vocal overdub here and there and some light bass to help hold everything
together, there is not much added to the mix that deviates from what one might
expect to hear live.
The Odds carries a
punk disposition throughout the record, from the attitude of the vocals, to the
tone of the guitars, and the content of the lyrics that are at times abstractly
political. The second track on the album, titled “Wanted Criminals,” represents
an idea of paranoia about the people in charge as they create more security
jobs because, “People need something to do/They’re getting angry.” This song
offers a scenario of dystopian disaster where all inhabitants are endowed with
authority. To follow up this
quasi-social statement, MacKaye sings on the next track, “I Do Myself,” “When I
run out of things to do, I do myself,” a mantra seemingly about masturbation as
a remedy for boredom in the song. It seems that Idleness and its ill-inspired
results is a consistent theme throughout The
Odds. It is not an optimistic record. In “Sooner Or Later,” MacKaye laments
about created illusions and then the denial that inevitably follows. Then
things fall apart completing this bleak image that navigates down what is
seemingly the only path one may traverse.
Indie, Punk, Post-Rock, this album can be described by a few
genre and musical era classifications. All are meant to represent a
transgression of popular musical trends. This record may be described as a bit
of a throwback, although not too far. I haven’t heard a new release that sounds
like this in quite some time. It is refreshing for it’s honesty in representing
the essence of this two-piece band. I will conclude with an empty phrase used
by so many professional athletes when interviewed after a ball game; this album
is what it is; that is punk, indie, raw-sounding and a
not-giving-too-much-of-a-damn kind of record that would have been in good
company in the late eighties along with a release from a band such as The
Pixies. But, it is better for being
released now, and not in the shadow of the sonic trends of a past decade, but
rather as a reminder to an over generalized “indie-rock” saturated listener
that “oh yeah, music can sound like this too and be pretty damn good” (Someone That Listened To This Album, Possibly).
Grade: B
0 comments
Post a Comment