"It`s s not quite the reverse of Bob Dylan going electric, but the eponymous debut CD from the Evens will still come as a surprise to fans who have followed Ian MacKaye`s career from his thrashing punk beginnings in the Teen Idles and Minor Threat -- bands that helped establish D.C.`s revered hardcore scene -- through his 17-plus years as Fugazi`s frontman. In the Evens, with drummer Amy Farina (another veteran of the Washington scene and a former member of the Warmers), MacKaye is entering vastly different territory, creating an introspective work that is as stripped-down, subtle and quiet as his previous efforts were fierce, brazen and unforgiving.
It would be tempting, then, to describe "The Evens" as music for Fugazi fans who`ve grown too old and weary to still consider themselves punks. These new songs are bare-bones and intimate: MacKaye on electric baritone guitar and Farina on drums. No other instruments. It`s rock, but with the reins held tight. There are no screaming choruses or ear-splitting guitars.. if the sound of hardcore is absent on this enthralling album, its spirit and intensity remain. Somehow, the quietness, the spareness of the songs make them all the more convincing and powerful. Where Fugazi`s songs build in tension before exploding into angular bits of rage-filled fury, Evens songs remain . . . Even."-Washington Post. "it`s hard to think of another upcoming punk album that could pack half as much punch as The Evens . There`s a teeth-bared menace to the album that comes through extremely well, and capturing this is quite a feat. Hopefully The Evens will dispel the complaints of those all too swift to write the band off as a vanity project for Ian and his girlfriend (Farina and MacKaye are widely rumored to be in a long-term relationship). The Evens stands as an impressive debut and an interesting move forward for a respected artist. Even if Fugazi never resurface (god forbid) we can certainly expect to hear plenty from MacKaye, and if he keeps up this caliber of experimentation, it`ll continue to be more than welcome. "-CokeMachineGlow.
 All These Governors - mp3
Mt. Pleasant - mp3 | 
