Weekly Release Spotlight: Chain and the Gang

Posted on 4/26/2009

Chain and the Gang

Down With Liberty...Up With Chains!

[K Records]

Part funk, part pop, part indie, part punk, Chain and the Gang is the brainchild of Ian Svenonius. Svenonius has been kicking around the scene in other such acts as Nation of Ulysses, the Make-Up, Scene Creamers, and Weird War. Like the aforementioned acts, Chain and the Gang also has an overarching theme and purpose. That theme is that liberty and freedom have been co-opted by the fat cats in power in order to be used as reasons for war and imperialism. In other words, it's anti-liberty and anti-freedom, but not in the traditional totalitarian sense. He's filled out the band with friends from other indie bands and their first album Down with Liberty...Up with Chains! is also, apparently, their battle call.

The album is a little slow to start off, with the first couple of songs sounding more like loosely structured musings with some spoken word rather than coherent thoughts. Where the album really kicks into gear is track four, "Reparations." The lo-fi rocker bounces along while Svenonius sings about reparations. The economically-themed "What is a Dollar?" follows and approaches gospel-like influence with an organ taking the lead while Svenonius preaches about the dollar. "Room 19" is also worth a mention. Its jerky groove and bare bones production bring to mind early soul records - as if the Ramones were suddenly told they were a soul band.

While the message isn't entirely clear, the meaning still gets across. Furthermore, with the help of his indie band buddies, the songs are a wonderful diluted mishmash of odd beats and grooves. You'd think this would be a train wreck, but you're mostly wrong. While you wouldn't call Svenonious the next Dylan or Woody Guthrie, the raw recording style and enthusiasm behind the project give a welcome new take on politically-themed music. And it might even be hip enough to get through to even the most jaded scenester.

Stream: Chain and the Gang - Chain Gang Theme (I See Progress)

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Chain and the Gang performing at Eclipse Records on May 5th with Hive Dwellers (Calvin Johnson), Vampire Hands, Mystery Palace, and Lucy Michelle & the Velvet Lapelles.

Written by Andrew Zoellner, Radio K volunteer.