Something about The Evens’ sound harkens back to the heyday of early nineties indie pop. Those days of the Simple Machines and Ajax labels, bands like Timonium and Tsunami and Versus, Chickfactor zine, all names that I hope mean something to you if you’re heading for thirty and beyond.

If that brief roll call stirs up similar memories for you, then you’ll be pleased to make the acquaintance of The Evens’ self-titled debut. Other than that, with a band such as this my review may be close to pointless – if you are an Ian Mackaye devotee, you are buying it regardless of whether you care what I have to say.

Of course some of the tracks, All These Governors and If It’s Water spring to mind, sound like Fugazi demos: it is inevitable given Mackaye’s quarter-century of instigating the masses. His is one of the more distinctive sounds of the underground. The real worth of The Evens, however, is the revelation that the man can actually sing. There is very little in the way of his trademark bellowing and chanting. A gentle strum, a sympathetic croon, and lines like “the police will not be excused, the police will not behave” delivered as if he were about to break into Moon River.

Amy Farina, the other half of the duo, is naturally gonna have to settle for the undeserved title of sidekick. Not because she’s female, nor because she isn’t as talented, but because she is not (yet) a demigod among the kids. The Warmers were a great enough band – no contest – but very few bands arrive in these times who really matter, who really scar a scene like Minor Threat and Fugazi. Two out of two for Mackaye. No wonder he’s viewed as a kind of miltant dalai lama for the coffee house crowd. Her drumming is sensational, by the way - possibly it is what I enjoy most in this record. It adds a real depth to what is in essence a simplistic sound; without ever seeming clumsy or showy.

Considering the number of duos listed in your average issue of NME or Mojo (last month: Fiery Furnaces, Death From Above 1979, Black Keys, White Stripes), The Evens set themselves apart (though not deliberately of course, heaven forbid there be a cynical thought in their bones!) by actually sounding as if there are only two people performing the music. Those mentioned above tend to turn up the volume to mask their inherent limitations. Mackaye and Farina revel in theirs – the sparse arrangements are used to highlight the chemistry they obviously believe exists when they swap spit into a microphone.

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