Repeat Pete Repete

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.