Martha “Beat, Perpetual”

sfilzen — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 20:20:27 +0000

Martha “Beat, Perpetual” 2022. Dirtnap Records. Limited edition blue vinyl (200) that is “a one-time only pressing…and will never, ever be repressed.” (from Dirtnap’s distributor, Green Noise Records’ website). Two-song, 7″ EP (that’s how it’s billed, but isn’t a 2-song 7″ a single?) from UK’s power pop band Martha. “Beat, Perpetual” is relentlessly upbeat, poppy and catchy, though the Bandcamp story from Martha about the track says, “‘Beat, Perpetual’ is about being stuck indoors when you live for the road. Not being able to tour or play for such a long time has been really difficult, and as trivial as missing gigs might seem compared to the brutality of the past two years, it has taken a toll on people whose lives revolve around music. In spite of it all, we’ll keep rolling on.”

Side B has “Dreaming Out Loud,” which is also upbeat power pop, though a bit less boppy than the A-side. What’s extra cool is that it is a cover of a Tenement song; Tenement’s sister band, Dusk, is also on Dirtnap — both Tenement and Dusk share band members (we’ve seen Dusk play a few times this past year); they’re also from my hometown of Appleton, Wisconsin. Tenement’s original appears on their 2011 release The Blind Wink.

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Martha “Blisters in the Pit of My Heart”

sfilzen — Mon, 10 Jan 2022 19:44:42 +0000

Martha “Blisters in the Pit of My Heart” 2016. Dirtnap Records. Martha’s second LP, released in the UK on Fortuna Pop! Records. Another unknown-to-me-til-now vinyl gift from my friend Dirtnap Ken so this is my first listen to Martha, the bright and bouncy punky pop/alternative rockers from the UK who fit in quite neatly with most of artists on the Dirtnap label. Blisters in the Pit of My Heart didn’t chart to my knowledge, but did receive some accolades, ranking pretty high for Top Albums of 2016 (#20 with The A.V. Club, #54 with Rough Trade). Martha doesn’t have a designated frontman/woman – they all share vocals – and among my favorites on the album are when lone-female member Naomi Griffin (bass) takes lead on “Do Whatever” (subtitled “the fuck you like”) and “11:45, Legless in Brandon.” I also really like “The Awkward Ones” and the concept behind “Goldman’s Detective Agency” (from the liner notes: it’s “about an alternative universe where Emma Goldman became an Anarchist Private Investigator in order to take down crooked cops and corrupt politicians). Martha lists The Replacements as one of their main influences and besides totally reflecting that power-pop/punk sound, the last track on Blisters is “St. Pauls (Westerberg Comprehensive)” which references The Replacements’ “Bastards of Young” directly.

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Martha Archives - Vinyl From The Vault

Martha “Beat, Perpetual”

Martha “Blisters in the Pit of My Heart”