THE MARKED MEN
Fix My Brain
Swami
· Fix My Brain will blow your mind.
When you Google The Marked Men and start clicking on the links to reviews of their records, there's an almost ubiquitous thread that runs through them: "I listen to a lot of music, nothing jumps out at you, this record did."
Now, I listen to a lot of music. A disgusting amount. I am here to say that all these reviewers are right. The Marked Men's Fix My Brain (their debut on the venerable Swami label after one on almost-as-good Dirtnap Records and their debut on Rip Off) was slapped in my CD player and didn't leave for the next 3 hours – a remarkable feat given its scant 13 song, 28 minute running time. Apparently, near perfection can be reached in less than half-an-hour.
The Marked Men bash out exuberant, catchy and crafted songs of such ingenious simplicity it's joyous. While touchstones such as the Ramones are used frequently, there is much more bubbling beneath the infectious blasts of power punk/pop/garage rock. Like the quintessential NYC band, The Marked Men share an affinity for ’50s pop, evidenced through their vocal harmonies and simple, accessible songs. They exude an energy that still comes through so clearly in both early punk and British post punk. Above all they are ridiculously, unabashedly fun. There is no pretentiousness, no posturing – nothing but an outpouring of brilliant, blinding and utterly genuine rock that sounds as desperate as it leaves you feeling.
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