by Jonathan Bannister (@j_utah)
All of us have those musicians that we will follow for the rest of our listening lives. As long as they continue to put out music we’ll be there. Having those voices that have been in our lives for a long time continue to say new things and speak to us through their music is a comforting listen. Even more so during uneven, uncertain times when the voices of our so called leaders is just so much white noise.
It feels like most of this will be preaching to the choir as most readers of Post-Trash are no doubt familiar with the musical biography of the members of Coriky but to summarize, as The Evens, Ian MacKaye and Amy Farina put out three albums (and a 7”) of stripped down tunes composed of baritone guitar and drums. Their shows were often seated, sing-along affairs. Coriky is The Evens with the addition of Joe Lally on bass and MacKaye switching back to guitar. The vibe is still very similar but there’s the interplay of the trio that makes it its own unique band. It’s a little louder, a little looser feeling. It has a lived in feel that comes from three musicians that are very used to playing together. A lot of the joy that comes from listening to the album is hearing how each part fits together with the other. The band is tight and locked in as they say.
“Oh, the terrible things she’d seen on her screen.”
The album opens with “Clean Kill,” a track that makes you feel instantly at home. One that lets you know what to expect over the next forty minutes. The lyrics bring to mind the story of a drone operator, but you can apply that message more broadly. The distancing we’ve implemented in our lives that allow us to sleep at night while horrible things are carried out. Tweet based activism in an effort to keep our hands clean. The music is catchy and light. Farina’s snare rim hits accenting the guitar stabs.
“The last thing we ever wanted was a war.”
“Last Thing” may be the strongest song on the album. A signature bass line from Lally dominates the music while Farina rolls around on the full kit. The guitar almost seems to get out of the way, only showing itself on the chorus as all three sing in harmony. It shows how well the trio work together, each part working independent and with the others. Lyrically it seems to be talking about a system that is designed to keep people busy and unable to tear free to realize how wrong it all is. “There’s no time for dissent, We sold it off to pay the rent.” A timely line as the powers that be find sustained protests being done by people who no longer have their jobs, furloughed due to their incompetent leadership.
“What’s surprising is the expectation that we ever had a say.”
The next to last song on the album “Inauguration Day” is another standout. A driving song that feels closest to MacKaye and Lally’s previous band, Fugazi. A straight ahead charger of a song, one that might be commenting on the fact that those who get the most votes don’t always win. A feeling of damned if you do and damned if you don’t. It’s all a smokescreen.
Highlights abound across the whole album. MacKaye’s guitar work on “Say Yes”. The mood and vibe along with the distinct chorus of “Have a Cup of Tea”. The ending jam of “Shedileebop”. Coriky is a strong album that sits well with all the members previous work. It’s one that will have lasting effect and will likely grow with each listen. It’s an album that feels like having people that might not know all the answers but at least know how to get the conversation going. A shining highlight in this dark year.