Aural Fixations

EVEN
Downpayment on Future Glories (1995-2003)
(Orange Sky/Dionysus)
Australia's always been the home of high-quality rock & roll bands, even if they so rarely find the audience they deserve outside of their own borders. (OK, there was Midnight Oil and INXS. And, to a certain extent, the Saints and the Church.) In the hopes of getting some attention American critics, at least, Dionysus imprint Orange Sky gives us Downpayment on Future Glories (1995-2003) from guitar pop act Even. Though it covers three of the Melbourne-based trio's albums, Downpayment borrows most of its tracks from the group's landmark record Come Again, a hit in the power pop underground. Like fellow Aussie cult star You Am I, Even draws a lot of its inspiration from 60s notables like the Who, the Kinks and the Move, not to mention the more melodic end of the Rolling Stones. The band jangles more than it crunches, but it's quite capable of kicking up the proverbial cloud of dust if needed. Like any good group, Even tailors its approach to the needs of the song. Tunesmith Ashley Naylor has a keen wit, an empathic heart and a seemingly bottomless well of melodies, and the band knows exactly how to make them soar. Even is just as comfortable with instantly appealing gems like "Shining Star," "Time to See" and "Sunshine Comes" as it is with more sedate tunes like "Peaches and Cream." "Getting By" may seem like the kind of psychedelic epic balladry every 60s-derived band is honor-bound to attempt, but it's so damn good it's impossible to do anything but appreciate it. Even never falters, but the threesome truly shines on more anthemic tracks. The struggling but hopeful tone of "Life Gets in the Way," the clever contemplation of "Bowie in My Dreams" and the cheeky but loving appreciation inherent in the fan tribute "Rock and Roll Save My Life" (all taken from the album A Different Light) find grand expression in the tunes' wide open arrangements and lighter-waving hooks. At its worst, this band is merely solid and effortlessly enjoyable. At its best, which applies to the majority of this collection, Even will renew your faith in melody, intelligence and heart in rock & roll. Michael Toland [buy it]