Music's Not For Everyone

About

Part bar-band shouter, part soapbox preacher, Ian Svenonius leads Chain & the Gang through a trashy yet sincere mix of tunes on <i>Music’s Not for Everyone</i>. The former lead singer of The Make-Up holds forth with the help of such K Records labelmates as multi-instrumentalist Arrington De Dionyso, vocalist Tara Jane O’Neil, organist Brian Weber, and producer Calvin Johnson. The mood here is loose and playful, with Svenonius imparting words of wisdom amid a ‘60s-slanted mélange of garage rock, vintage soul, and gospel. Tracks like “For Practical Purposes (I Love You)” and “Bill for the Use of My Body” take a look at love’s more absurd complications. Svenonius offers sobering advice about the unfairness of life in “Youth Is Wasted on the Young” and “Not Good Enough (Dub)” while asserting his own status as a celebrity in “(I’ve Got) Privilege.” Ragged rockers like “Livin’ Rough” and “Why Not?” recall Johnny Thunders at his most charmingly ragged, while “It’s a Hard, Hard Job (Keeping Everybody High)” has a low-budget bluesiness that suggests Jonathan Richman covering Ray Charles.

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

Start your shelf to read the full take →