It’s been a few years since we’ve heard anything from The Evens, the project of Ian MacKaye and Amy Farina. It’s kind of understandable: Ian and Amy had a child together, not to mention Ian is Ian and has a hundred and one things on his plate, including doing interviews with idiots like me. So what will we find now that they’ve released their first new music since 2006? The two songs served up here are a welcome tease. The music still follows the same general style: Ian plays his baritone guitar, Amy plays the drums, and both sing. Amy takes the lead on the A side, “Warble Factor,” and her vocals sound as powerful and soulful as any other Evens material. The B-side, “Timothy Wright,” has Ian setting a gentle tone with his voice. There’s certainly no angry yelling here. The song is catchy and an enjoyable listen with Ian’s jangly guitar ever-present. While I truly hope there will be further material from The Evens, 2 Songs is a very satisfying listen in itself and, despite the hiatus, it shows a band that is just as interesting as ever.
–kurt (Dischord)