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| M-16 s/t EP Mary Tyler Morphine/Munition - split CDFailed Experiment Records is a curiously-named non-profit organization hoping to raise awareness of social issues through music. This album's profits benefit the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. For this benefit, they've chosen two younger Chicago punk bands. Mary Tyler Morphine kicks the mid-tempo thing pretty well, with interesting leads and solid music. Unfortunately, the vocals need a lot of work. Her voice isn't quite strong enough yet for the music that they're playing. Munition is a little bit tighter, but would benefit from a stronger sense of vocal melody. I'd recommend ditching the guitar solos as well. The gruff vocals and the social awareness apparent in the lyrics reveal a band in the beginnings of something good. (Failed Experiment Records) |
Mineral - Serenading 7" Mineral - End Serenading the gloria record - grace, the snow is here 7" My opinion of these guys varies from thinking they've really got some special tunes to thinking they're some of the most pretentious poseurs I've ever hear. I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt because I really do think they like Sunny Day Real Estate that much, because I loved the last record after about 80 listens (thanks Chris!), because they seem like nice enough people (and listening to the Chuck Schumer versus Al D'Amato ads makes me yearn for civility), and because there are moments both on these records and on the last where something interesting shines through that ever-strong SDRE filter. Yeah, they sound like that band, but there's a million jazz and blues guys that are pretty indistinguishable. Do we cast them off into the nether-region just because the singer sounds just like another. That being said, I was expecting more from the album. It just seems sleepy to me. I know that pretty is the way that they seemed to be going, but there's no pull. Some bands such as Radiohead are able to do pretty well enough by sucking you in to a little world. That doesn't happen to me here. Maybe with a few more listens? Which is why I'm surprised that I'm so impressed by the gloria record 7". The link between the bands is the combination of the voice and lyrics of Chris Simpson and the bass of Jeremy Gomez. The A-side of The Gloria Record 7" may be the best song I've heard from these two. The B-side is a slightly slower tune that builds into a high-pitched babble, but "grace, the snow is here" may be the best reason to stick with these guys I could conceive of. I liked the Psychedelic Furs cover on the "&Serenading" 7" too. (Crank!) |
Mayflies
USA - Summertown Graig Markel - Versus on Venus |
Mink Lungs - The Better Button These New York kids play 1960s pop-influenced sweetness that comes of as the 2001 update of The Vaselines. They throw enough tricks in the mix, courtesy of a few found sounds and keyboards/samplers, to keep you guessing, however. The result is a fun and quirky little album, with the emphasis on quirky. (Arena Rock Recording Co.) A Minor Forest - So Were They in Some Kind of a Fight? Another band that I had been meaning to check out (since I heard they did a split 7" with Sweep the Leg Johnny.) These two CDs combines all of their 7" appearances and rarities for over two hours of music. I guess I missed them as they broke up recently (Erik, the guitarist has a new band called The Threnody Ensemble which is composed of two acoustic guitars and a cello. John and Andee, the bassist and drummer, have a new band called Ticwar) That's too bad as I can imagine them being great live. Anyway, this album is really wonderful whether you knew the band or are just discovering them for the first time like me. They've been lumped into that math rock category and I can certainly understand that (the repetition, the jagged edge-d guitar sound), but this is not a cookie-cutter of Slint or Shellac. Rather, these guys have songs that a little bit challenging, but ultimately, the songs are entertaining despite whether you've heard of Slint or heard the term math rock before. They are extremely deft at playing slow, methodic parts and unleashing the booms and crashes. And they keep you guessing. I recommend. (My Pal God Records) |
Mean Red Spiders - Stars and Sons The Mercury Program - small projects
7" The Mercury Program/Versailles - split 7" |
Mishima - Red is the New Black and Blue Very impressive debut from this Montreal four-some. They combine guitars and keyboards with a tight rhythm section to kick out some seriously interesting and fun Stooges-meet-New Wave rockers. They also escape the trap that keyboards sometimes lay for their users, that of hiding behind the sounds, with aggressive guitar-playing. I can't wait to hear more. (Mintaka Conspiracy/Cargo Music) The Model Sons - The Lies and the Money EP Boston...America...are you ready for the Model Sons? They've heard all your lies, they've listened to all your songs, and they've drunk all your whisky, all the while biding their turn. Now they're on the attack and you're either with them or you're against them. The sound of the Model Sons is a combination of hard-hitting drums, basslines with deep grooves (think Rage Against the Machine), evil-sounding guitars and clever guitar interplay, and vocals that sound like a man at the end of his rope. Tony Mellace may be the hardest hitting drummer to come out of Boston in a long, long time. He's also adept at synching up nicely with bassist Scott Sinclair (whose label released this record). Bryn Bennett is a vicious guitar player and his excitement for playing (which doesn't come across on this EP as well as it does live) makes him one to watch. His partner in crime, Ian Vogel, lays down the basic guitar lines which allow Bennett to head off into a realm that lies somewhere in between Mudhoney and Social Distortion. Meanwhile, Vogel's vocals sound like a cross between Glenn Danzig (Danzig, the Misfits) and Spencer from the Murder City Devils. The EP kicks off with the steady-groove of the title track, which features a pretty explosive chorus. (Also worth checking out are "Overexcited," "Slingshot," and the tribute to liquore, "Before We Die") In fact, if there is one area where the Model Sons excel compared to their peers, it may be the explosiveness of the choruses. These guys have shown great promise with this EP. Thankfully for Boston audience, their live show delivers on that promise. Get ready...they're coming. They're coming to your workplace to drag you out, to your homes to get you off the couch, and to your favorite local club to wake you out of that corporate media induced slumber you've been living in. All you have to do is have a drink waiting for them when they get there. (SINCaudio) *review originally appeared in Northeast Performer |
| Million
Dollar Marxists - s/t If you're looking for some new punk rock that doesn't sound exactly like your father's punk rock, then get ready for the Million Dollar Marxists. Slipping under the radar (somehow) is this debut album from these Ottawa punks. They've managed to pack an album worth of riffs into six songs. Whereas a lot of bands today have taken the grittier moments of The Stooges and MC5 as a launching point, these boys have remembered that the songs should pop and rock above everything else. They have infused the energy of the aforementioned with a dose of poignancy, making them less of a throwback and much more of a force of their own. The Milwaukees - Sunset and Sunrise The count-off and the launch into a Superchunk-ish rave-up. Pretty straight-up, unaffected vocals. Kind of remind me of that Alias band Hypnolovewheel a bit. A trio that likes loud guitars and pop hooks, I like that. I also like the story that they learned to play their instruments for the express purpose of playing in this band. Hours well spent, lads! |
Mollycuddle - it's not you, it's me Scared off by the name? Yeah, I was too. Don't be...this is a good'n. Clever pop. Kind of like Versus with a bit more bite, a cleaner Psychedelic Furs, or a more straight-forward Track Star. And like all those bands and also Small Factory, they succeed at being able to create great tension in every song while still remaining tremendously catchy. (Guild Ridden Pop) Moviola - Rumors of the Faithful This is a thoroughly engaging collection of country-influenced-but-not-quite-country pop tunes that will have any listener smiling from ear to ear in a matter of minutes. That they are able to maintain such a high level of consistency with four rotating lead vocalists is even more amazing. The songs are nostalgic and precise in their various sentiments leading to the conclusion that this is Moviola's most accomplished album yet. (Spirit of Orr) Munition - The Black Wave These guys keep getting better and better. Tough-sounding punk. One of Chicago's finest punk outfits. Fans of Lawrence Arms, Hot Water Music, and Leatherface should really check out this album. |
| Murder
City Devils - Thelema EP This EP is the swan song from one of the hardest-working bands of 2000 and 2001. I'll miss this band as I always felt that more people deserved to hear the clever lyrics and vicious vocals of singer Spencer Moody. The songs on this EP aren't a huge departure from anything on their last two albums...just more of the same goodness. And actually, "That's What You Get" ranks up there as one of their best songs. (Sub Pop Records) |
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