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Matt
Marka
Repeat Pete Repete
P.A.W. Records
Guest review by Doug
Kabourek
This
record is simply dull.
Marka, who hails from
Minneapolis, has written okay songs -- the key word being okay.
They are excellently produced in the Scott Litt/R.E.M. style --
all with shimmering acoustic guitars and electrics popping at just
the right times. The problem is that the songs are just boring,
and production isn't going to fix that. Marka's vocal melodies aren't
very catchy. Often times they move more like a scale than a melody
-- the note rising or falling a whole step with every beat. Other
times they move in weird directions that would be difficult to sing.
No song is shorter than
three minutes, with the average track probably around four and a
half. They just go on too long. The disc's opener, "With Crashes
and Quiet," is nearly seven minutes long and completely repeats
itself at the 4:45 mark.
One song I do like --
a ballad called "Twenty-Six" -- has a nice melody accented
by waves of e-bowed guitar that roll in and out like the tide. The
song's vocal hook, however, sounds very similar to "Larry"
by Buffalo Tom, and as a result, I am now listening to Buffalo Tom
and not Matt Marka.
back
to
Posted Dec. 5,
2002. Copyright © 2002 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.
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Rating: No
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Obligatory pull-quote:
"The
problem is that the songs are just boring, and production isn't
going to fix that." |
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Tim sez: I
concur with Doug. Good voice, good guitar, dull songs. You
can hear the Paul Westerberg influence, but it ain't enough.
Rating: No
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