The Evens - The Evens

The Evens positively brims with revelations, not least of which is the consistent effectiveness of MacKaye's singing voice. Though melodic Fugazi tracks like The Argument's "Cashout" or "I'm So Tired" from the Instrument soundtrack have hinted at the broader possibilities of his vocal range, his work here represents the first time he's wholly abandoned his trademark rottweiler bark for an album's entirety. Here his vocals are particularly appealing when closely coupled with Farina's, whose bracingly cloudless voice proves to be an ideal match for MacKaye's weathered, pliable delivery.
Farina, however, is far from merely MacKaye's supporting player, and thoroughly establishes herself as a fully vested partner. Her lead vocals on tracks like "Around the Corner" and "If It's Water" spur pleasant memories of the early-90s heyday of femme-led indie outfits like Tsunami or Scrawl, and her inventive, textured percussion serves to remind the listener how boring and perfunctory the majority of rock-based drumming actually is. When paired with MacKaye's restless, rumbling baritone guitar, her low-lit drumming can cast tracks (particularly "Sara Lee" or "Minding One's Business") in alluring, almost Tortoise-like post-rock hues, which provides the album with incredibly vivid depth of field, despite the duo's simplified, modest palette.
Though powerhouse tracks like "All These Governors" and "You Won't Feel a Thing" pack the strongest initial mule-kick (closely related to such Fugazi anthems like "Keep Your Eyes Open" or "Great Cop", both songs come equipped with classically direct MacKaye choruses like, "They'll beat you with the truth so you won't feel the lies") many of The Evens' most memorable moments occur within the intimate portraiture of "Blessed Not Lucky," or the opening "Shelter Two". Cataloging the minute details of a new relationship, "Shelter Two" makes a trip to the hardware store sound like high adventure, as MacKaye and Farina sing, "We keep on climbing but we never find the top/ It's all downhill from here," in untailored Exene-and-John Doe harmonies, sweetly punctuating the importance of these crucial, seemingly trivial moments that so often comprise the highlights of our lives.

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