Photo by John Conway.

The last song on Even So's sophomore EP Homecomings & Departures (self-released), "Joseph Lewis Lucas" takes a note from Johnny Cash ("I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die"), showing that principal lyricist Ira Gamerman is a much less pretentious Colin Meloy, getting the point across without needing a copy of Roget's Thesaurus. Without the showiness of over-processed lyrics, Even So are able to let a harder bent come through in the music. "Interstellar (Airbag, Airbag)" is tinged with post-punk revival, countoffs, and post-hardcore  rather than folk or baroque pop.

The bass and drums on Homecomings are way more powerful than anything else released by a Baltimore trio who fall outside of the hard rock scene. Drummer Sam Hoffberger takes a page from Danny Carey, playing with a speed and level (Hoffberger did begin his educational career majoring in music) normally reserved for a longer hair, bigger amplifier crowd. This influence gives Even So's EP a tougher sound than other literary bands, and provides Gamerman (also a playwright) with a larger stage to spin his stories on up-tempo high-stakes songs like "A Cookout at the Witch Trials (The Moralist)."

Be sure to download the free MP3 from Homecomings & Departures, "Interstellar (Airbag, Airbag)."

Tags: any given tuesday, even so, MP3