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WEIRD WAR
COME TOGETHER

As a fixture on DC’s Fugazi-led punk scene since the late ’80s, when he emerged as the inspired, well-coiffed, motor-mouthed leader of Nation of Ulysses, Ian Svenonius has always relied on heavy doses of shtick to get his point across. By the time Nation had morphed into the Make-Up, in the mid ’90s, Svenonius and long-time bassist/collaborator Michelle Mae were knee deep in an ideology that married garage-punk riffs, revved-up R&B grooves, and retro-mod black-and-white suits with gospel-style proselytizing about a new brand of non-denominational "liberation theology" and rock-and-roll salvation. It was an ethos that inspired thrilling live shows and frustratingly lo-fi studio recordings. And it seems even Svenonius and Mae found the trappings of the Make-Up restrictive, since they let their hair down and evolved into the more diverse Weird War, a band who touched on a variety of styles, including R&B, funk, and electric blues, on last year’s scattered but promising If You Can’t Beat ’Em, Bite ’Em (Drag City). It’s all come together on Weird War’s new Illuminated by the Light (Drag City), a well-produced album that backs up Svenonius’s modfather shtick with greater musical muscle.

Svenonius hasn’t totally changed his act: a week ago Thursday, when Weird War took the stage upstairs at the Middle East, he was every bit the hip-swiveling punk preacherman with the mean falsetto squeal. But what stood out was the first-rate outfit at his back. Guitarist Alex Minoff churned out funky, wiry riffs and played the guitar hero without unnecessary noodling. Mae’s thick, prominent bass lines propelled the explosive "Girls Like That" and "Motorcycle Mongoloid," and on the latter, her icy vocals complemented Svenonius’s over-the-top wail. Even Svenonius’s oft-indecipherable between-song banter was given musical backing, the band members tinkering with their instruments to create improvised soundscapes. It appears that Svenonius has finally met his match — a group with the heft to rein him in when he decides to go off on a tangent.

Ian Sands

Issue Date: August 12 - 18, 2005
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