Chain and the Gang

Chain and the Gang is the latest incarnation of musical brilliance from D.C. rabble-rouser Ian Svenonius — part Prince, part Iggy, part Chomsky, part Andy Kaufman — who’s previously bestowed upon the world such deliciously caustic, sonically arresting bands as Nation of Ulysses, the Make-Up and Scene Creamers/Weird War. Svenonius has been called “a Marxist version of Stephen Colbert” for the anti-authoritarian, anti-bourgeois, conspiracy-theorist-style rhetoric and ideology he barks in songs, interviews and essays that blur the line between righteous indignation and pure satire/parody. (As with Kaufman, it’s virtually impossible to tell when he’s dead serious or pulling your leg.) Whether his provocative sociopolitical stance makes you think “Yeah, yeah! Down with the Man!” or makes you want to punch Svenonius square in the face, there’s simply no denying the power and entertainment of Chain and the Gang’s blend of jailhouse blues, trash punk, funk and soul.