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Album of the week: Magik Markers
Matthew L. Reese
Issue date: 9/27/07
Section: Arts & Entertainment
Magik Marker's latest release,
Boss, comes as a relative surprise. With this release on Thurston Moore's label Ecstatic Peace, the now duo - bassist Leah Quimby left the group in May of 2006 - goes for a more accessible sound. Past endeavors,
I Trust My Guitar, Etc...(also on Ecstatic Peace) and
A Panegyric To The Things I Do Not Understand, were firmly rooted in the experimentalists' realm of no-wave and, at its basest form, sheer guitar noise. That said, Boss still features the caterwauling of a guitar and off-kilter drum fills. However, Magik Markers has very definitely softened their sound - even going as far as featuring acoustic plucking and pleasantly detuned pianos.
The biggest difference between past albums and this one, though, is the development of actual song structure. The band shows its capability to write pop songs even if they choose not to. It's clear that being on the Sonic Youth frontman's label and even having Lee Renaldo (guitarist for Sonic Youth) produce their album has influenced them in the Yoof's vein. Particularly on a song like "Body Rot," which sounds as if it could be taken from the cutting room of the
Sister sessions.
Furthermore, Singer/guitarist Elisa Ambrogio channels the lazy singing style of Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth's bassist/singer) throughout the album, which is rather effective in this album's case (considering past albums featured more or less yelping). In fact, I can hardly discern the difference between the two bands now.
All comparisions aside, Magik Markers create a very visceral listening experience permeated with moments of ethereal quietitude (check the ghostly solo piano track "Empty Bottles") and a penchant for following in their idols footsteps. Pick this album up if you're dissatisfied with Thurston's solo album,
Trees Outside the Academy, and are looking for the sounds of Yoof-past.
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