by Kyle Olson
In an effort to fulfill some bizarre
need in my life, I purchase a lot of CDs, both old and new. They
are obsessively cataloged and organized and poured over track by
track (Seriously, it's obsessive. It involves post-it notes and
code and excel spreadsheets). It is truly a labor of love (and
an unhealthy psychological imperative). But, since I am consuming
so much music, I thought I could use this constant influx for the
powers of good. Should I come across anything worth sharing (either
a new release or an old favorite), I will share them with you.
So you'll love me.
Chain and the Gang
— Down with Liberty...Up with Chains! (K)
Somewhere, in a dark basement laboratory, a team of scientists
is doing unspeakable experiments with the DNA of Calvin Johnson,
Lou Reed, and a team of fiery Baptist preachers. This experiment,
an affront to God himself, has boiled down Calvin Johnson's DIY
lefty leanings and basement stomp, Lou Reed's legendary cool
and perfect backroom rock and roll, and mixed them all up with
the suit-wearing, sweaty energy of Baptist churches in the south.
The product of these sinful scientific dealings is the debut
album by Chain and the Gang, the newest project of ex-Nation
of Ulysses/Make Up frontman Ian Svenonius, who has taken a break
from hosting internet talk-shows and writing books to front another
amazing band.
The "premise" of the project stems from the observation
that "the spread of liberty has been detrimental to the
world. Everywhere liberty goes, it leaves a path of destruction.
Fast food, bad architecture, militarism, rampant greed, environmental
destruction, imperial conquest, class struggle; these phenomena,
when combined, seem to be synonymous with 'Liberty.'" Fortunately,
these politics are delivered with a tongue-in-cheek snarkiness
and revival tent faux-gospel so the message, while not exactly
buried, is rather snuggled up comfortably under several quilts
of "gettin' down." Those looking for screeds will be
sorely disappointed, but anyone familiar with Svenonius's most
recent work, including a Little Red Book-resembling tome of satirical
essays on rock-and-roll-as-ethos will expect the joke. Songs
like "Reparations," a stone-cold gospel-rock jam about
wanting restitution from bad radio and failed institutions, is
the perfect example of the Chain and the Gang mission: soft politics/indie
defiance that gets sidelined by the need to get down.
The album may receive criticism (perhaps justifiably) for its
over-simplified arrangements and grade-school rhymes. In its
defense, it's on K Records, the label started by Beat Happening.
What did these critics expect? Goofy couplets are all over this
album, and at times they do threaten to derail the enjoyment
of Down with Liberty. But as it stands now, these lyrics operate
as a litmus test for the listener: are you going to let innocent
flaws get in the way of an album as fun as this? If ham-fisted
rhymes are going to distract you from the business of backroom
boogie, this is not the album for you. As it stands, Down
with Liberty is a testament to relaxed good-times, unconcerned with
what other people think. Like Beat Happening, Chain and the Gang
are too cool for that. They, like millions of sorority girls
before them, are content to dance like nobody's watching.
And
sandwiched in the middle of the album, "Interview with
the Chain Gang" stands as the band's anthem. Presented as
a series of phone-interviews, Svenonius slings out several verses
of rock and roll rhetoric over a garage-rock James Brown guitar
riff until he finally arrives at what could be one of my favorite
lyrics of all time: "What's my stance? I like to dance/And
smash things up when I get a chance." In that line, Svenonius
defines the band: good times comes first, and if someone gets
the half-serious references to the progressive politics beneath
the jam, all the better." Down with Liberty...Up with
Chains! is a collection of ramshackle rock that's as inviting and personal
as any singer-songwriter disk released this year. But rather
than hammering you over the head with its message, Chain and
the Gang are content to simply let you come party with them,
knowing you'll get the joke.
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