The Marked Men / This Is My Fist
Split [7 inch] (2009)
Brian Shultz
No Idea Records released a mess of pop-punk split 7"s on November 17th last year, and big shocker, they're all damn solid. This is just one, featuring two new peppy cuts from the Marked Men on one side and two thrilling jams from This Is My Fist on the other.
If you've liked anything Marked Men have done before there's no reason you'll dislike "Whip Me" or "Too Pretty to Fuck," unless the curt length bothers you (these are both shorter than most of the tracks on Ghosts and all of Fix My Brain). Of these two, "Too Pretty" is catchy as all hell and a little more enlivening. There's the band's signature layer of vintage distortion and that slight power-pop influence in the melodies without slowing the tempo at all; so yeah, it sounds like the Marked Men and I dig 'em. Although I do wish the songs were longer.
TIMF's "All That Is Wrong" opens with a really compelling, invigorating riff, but the production suddenly seems to get much more raw when the vocals kick in. It's a little jarring and I don't really get it, but the craggy, scratchy vocals give it a good upbeat romp à la early Dillinger Four. "Bad Seed" picks up the overall speed while trying out some slower singing melodies here and there to make for a cool contrast.
Couple more looks at these records coming in the coming days.