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ILLUMINATED BY THE LIGHT
DRAG CITY
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Ian Svenonius has been trying to make the indie punks dance and think for the better part of two decades, first with the emo-harDCore proselytizing of Nation of Ulysses, then with the mod garage-punk gospel Make-Up, and now with Weird War. On last year’s If You Can’t Beat ’Em, Bite ’Em, the band seemed lost somewhere between a late-’60s hippie jam and the indie lo-fi lands of K’s International Pop Conspiracy. As Illuminated by the Light suggests, Ian’s ethos hasn’t changed — he’s still all about bathing himself in a halo of positivity and preaching a DIY version of love thy neighbor. What’s changed is the music behind the message: if you believe the adage "Free your ass and your mind will follow," then you gotta give people something to groove to. Ian’s past albums have mostly been crappy-sounding ads for the live show. But with cleaner production and the addition of Trans Am drummer Sebastian Thomson’s muscular chops, bassist Michelle Mae has tightened up her act, and guitarist Alex Minoff’s sinewy riffs have started to lead somewhere tuneful. Ian’s still less a singer than a cheerleader — "There ain’t nothing wrong with you" he assures the alienated in mantra-like fashion on "Mental Poisoning," and his rap’s more rhythmic than melodic as he asks "Why do guys like girls like that" in the bottom-heavy "Girls like That." It ain’t exactly James Brown, but it’s getting close. Weird War | Middle East Upstairs, 472 Mass Ave, Cambridge | August 4 | 617.864.EAST
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