the marked men Archives - Vinyl From The Vault

The Marked Men “On the Other Side”

sfilzen — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 20:36:37 +0000

The Marked Men “On the Other Side” 2018. Dirtnap Records. A punchy punky power-pop comp of all “non-LP tracks released by the Marked Men, originally released in the period between 2003 and 2010 on labels such as Dirtnap, Swami, No Idea, Shit Sandwich, and Mortville, plus 2 never-before-heard unreleased tracks” (“Disappear” and “Go Cry“). Dirtnap announced its 25th anniversary concert (festival?) scheduled for Labor Day weekend 2025 with 17 bands confirmed. I don’t think those have been revealed yet but I’m probably seeing Dirtnap Ken tomorrow night at our house so will try to get the inside scoop then. Maybe The Marked Men?? Possibly! They played at the (belated) 20th anniversary Dirtnap Fest in Madison in 2022 (video below, not mine).

According to the Bandcamp listing for On the Other Side “if there is/has been a “flagship band” for Dirtnap, Marked Men and their various offshoots are it. The band hasn’t released any new material since 2009 (the last album came out in 2008.), and they probably won’t, so this singles comp is as close to a new album as it’s going to get. Marked Men still plays a handful of shows every year, but has no plans to release any further new material.” My top picks on this comp are “Nothing’s Changed” from 2005 (on Shit Sandwich Records), the lightning fast punk’d out “Too Pretty to Fuck” and the mod-punk “Whip Myself” both from 2009 (on No Idea Records), the wicked-beated, power-chord crashing “Like Robots” from 2008 (Dirtnap) and “I Can’t Be Good” from 2003 (Mortville Records). We have several of the Marked Men’s releases (I’m pretty sure all on Dirtnap) but I think this comp might be my favorite in our collection of their material.

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O-D-EX “Breaker”

sfilzen — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 20:48:13 +0000

O-D-EX “Breaker” released today, January 26th, 2024. Dirtnap Records. Limited edition white vinyl. Arrived just minutes ago on my doorstep from the most excellent Green Noise Records. I have to admit the only exposure I’ve had to O-D-EX prior to this moment listening to Breaker was the preview track shared by Dirtnap Ken, “Ley Line,” when this release was announced for pre-order last month. I loved what I heard and jumped on it and I’m so glad I did! Hard-driving industrial synth-punk, super-buzzy and distorted but with a highly danceable hypnotic beat.

O-D-EX’s Breaker is the debut release from this solo/collaborative project of The Marked Men’s and Mind Spider’s Mark Ryan (we caught him play at 2022’s Dirtnap Fest) and Micah Why (Kitbashes, Mission Giant, Faux Fox). Copy/pasting Ryan’s summary of the project from a piece on Brooklyn Vegan: “Using my old Electribe sampler and weird digital guitar synth pedal, I can usually bash out an idea and almost have it complete as I’m working on it. I don’t have to bring it to the band to flesh it out. I’ve been obsessed by harsh digital noise and letting go of worrying about analog warmth when recording.” And from the Bandcamp page: “Born out of frustration with analog fetishism and too many human band mates, O-D-EX uses the immediacy of digital noise and trashy drum samples to transmit ideas directly into existence. Main influences: Chrome and Mantronix.” It is VERY electric, super-dark, a very underground 80’s club vibe. Besides “Ley Line,” my top tracks are the opener “Spring Break,” “S Drive” and the breakneck “So Nice” which totally reminds me of Industrial Dance night at the Option back in ’88.

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The Marked Men “Fix My Brain”

sfilzen — Sat, 03 Jul 2021 18:35:56 +0000

The Marked Men “Fix My Brain” 2006. Dirtnap Records (2010 reissue, originally released on Swami Records). Today, July 3rd, is Dirtnap Ken’s birthday (and it’s a big one! 😉🥳) so I’m spinning one of the records he generously gave me from his stash. Though the record originally came out on Swami, The Marked Men released their preceding LP, On the Outside (2004) on Dirtnap and returned to Dirtnap for their 4th album, Ghosts in 2009. In between came Fix My Brain – it’s tight garage punk that leans toward power pop, fun and catchy as hell…little chunks of hard bopping guitar hook-driven power (most songs hover around the 2 minute mark): think happy punk in the spirit of the Ramones. My top tracks are “It’s Not a Crime,” “A Little Lesson,” “Someday” and “You Said Enough.”

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