Bands rarely arrive sounding fully-formed and fabulous, but Chicago’s THE EX SENATORS land in our midst suggesting they’ve got all bases covered from the word go.
It’s not quite as simple as that, of course. While the band clearly appreciate the importance of that good old fashioned enigma factor (I doubt the names Dmac, Van and Phabulous G.J correlate with their passports, after all), their collective CV boasts of time spent working with high-profile names such as Mary J. Blige, Janet Jackson, Sting and George Clinton, so it’s no great surprise when ‘The Ex Senators’ doesn’t come on like the kind of lo-fi fest that Guided By Voices’ Robert Pollard would knock out over a holiday weekend.
What it does sound like is a mightily proficient debut from five highly-talented fellas with plenty to say and a highly-refined knack for marrying it to rock’n’roll tunes stuffed with muscle, melody and invention. Advance notices have made comparisons with hallowed names such as The Clash and Bruce Springsteen, but while The Ex Senators certainly share some of the same core values (not least passion and commitment) they have an agenda that’s all their own.
As you’d expect from a record with a Chris Steinmetz production credit (see also Alice in Chains, Paramore and Kanye West) ‘The Ex-Senators’ is a thoroughly modern-sounding affair, yet it cares little for trends. Slow-burning tunes with memorable anthemic choruses (widescreen opener ‘Angel’, the dramatic ‘Everything Falls Apart’) are often the order of the day, though the band’s natural versatility keeps you on your toes throughout. Taut, Police-style white reggae (‘Tomorrow In Love’) clearly doesn’t faze them, but then neither does the impressive day-glo Chili Peppers/ P-Funk workout ‘Psychotropic Love Freak’ or the rampaging, punky smash’ n’ grab of ‘The Kids Are Trouble.’
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Despite the political aspect of the band’s name, The Ex Senators have little truck for left or right. The storming, Glam-stomp of the new single ‘Start A Fight’ exposes the hyberbole on both sides of the American political divide for the hot air it really is, while the seethingly outspoken ‘United Corporation of America’ (“history won’t hide the stains of the wars we’ve fought or the price we’ve paid”) liberally lays into a system where all votes are bought and sold.
Yet while it’s refreshing to hear a clued-in outfit agitating and educating in the conservative, fear-fuelled world we exist in these days, it’s often when Ex Senators slow it down and allow the personal to usurp the political that they really score. To this end, make for both the gentle, life-affirming ‘Good Rain’ and the heartfelt ‘Stay’ where Dmac has the chance to show us what a fine, charismatic voice he has (there’s just a hint of Bowie in there, too) . Then there’s the show-stopping closing track ‘Disappear.’ Written by Dmac in the immediate aftermath of the death of his best friend, it has a hypnotic poignancy and rises with a Who-like intensity which is simply breathtaking.
The Ex Senators, then, bring us a rock’n’roll campaign to be reckoned with. You don’t need to wait for Super Tuesday to know these guys are soon gonna sweep ahead in the polls.
The Ex Senators online
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