Artist: Chain and the Gang
Album: Down with Liberty... Up with Chains!
The latest vehicle for Ian Svenonius, known for his work in Nation of Ulysses, The Make-Up and Weird War. After being introduced via their live show, the album sounds a little dinky in comparison — clean and spare, almost like a demo. That robs the songs of the sweaty raunch they really need to get over, and without their live energy, they could be mistaken for aimless rehashed genre exercises. I don't think that's the case so much as I think this albums isn't the best of all possible arguments for these songs. The vox and some of the garage-primitive R&B bring to mind David Johansen, but when at his best, Svenonius manages to work in a sneaky critique of nothing less than contemporary American society. Not without its charms, though, as Svenonius has a slightly unwholesome magnetism and an ear for subtle sloganeering.
Track Pick: 5 - "What is a Dollar?"
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment