The Evens strip the fuzz and display their talent. When music is performed solely by two vocalists-instrumentalists (one drumming and one setting the melodies on his baritone guitar), any failing in talent would be immediately recognizable. That is to say the album would be played halfway once, then forgotten. Who are The Evens? I can tell you because they've been keeping my iPod running with their soft poppy sound and my heart warm with their intertwined voices.

The sound is light and airy. No surprise for a minimalist band such as The Evens. But "light" should not be confused with "simplistic" or "unrefined", and "airy" should not be confused with "empty". Quite the opposite. Ian MacKaye's loose fingers roam to all corners of the fretboard while Amy Farina's intricate and sometimes reverbed drumming fills the voids. Farina's voice is an ideal complement to MacKaye's, and both feature prominently on each song giving still more depth to this duo.

No introduction to The Evens would be complete without mentioning the politically-charged lyrics. MacKaye's Dischord label has a history of being involved with political activism, and this release only confirms that this is still the case. Songs like All These Governors, and Crude Bomb among others are a testament to the fact that the album was recorded around 2004 when the role of governments and media in the U.S. were widely questioned.