Mark Ryan, singer/guitarist for Texas punk band The Marked Men, has given his lone star cronies another reason to celebrate and collaborate, courtesy of his new solo project, Mind Spiders. While the band’s live incarnation brings together friends from The Marked Men, High Tension Wires (made up of Marked Men, Reds, and Riverboat Gamblers), Bad Sports, and Uptown Bums, the recording is all Ryan, who four-tracks his way through twelve lo-fi pop creations that blink and scream like the main attraction at the carnival of fuzz. As a whole, Mind Spiders feels a hell of a lot like a 60s garage rock record, candy-coated in electric spazz and shake, but Ryan is able to riff on this blueprint on a song-by-song basis, coaxing a range of styles out of the inherent raw energy throughout; “Go!,” “Don’t Let Her Go,” and “No Romance” showcase his punk roots (“Go! was supposed to be on The Marked Men’s last LP but was left off), “Read Your Mind” and “Slippin’ and Slidin’” contain a country n’ soul vibe, while “Your Soul,” “Neurotic Gold,” and “Close the Door” end the album on an indie new wave note. Mind Spiders is eclectic, catchy, and earmarked for sound.
The Jim Jones Revue Burning Your House Down
Punk Rock Blues
The congregation is sweatin’ and moanin’, children, for Jim Jones, the white man, has come to claim the bastard blues. Oh Lord, yes! One for the money, two for the show, like Jerry Lee and Elvis before him, Mr. Jones rattles every single one of your bones. His midnight Revue, leather-faced retinue, a real pack of cool, shakes shacks with the best of ‘em, and only the loudest, fuzziest, hip socket rock will do. The former Thee Hypnotics and Black Moses front man is on a mission and completely out of his mind, his greasy-haired head down, and three albums in three years (including 2008′s self-titled album and 2009′s Here to Save Your Soul) is a real heavy load, but not even a great ball of fire is gonna stop his screamin’ train from rollin’ on. Garage funk, Motown soul — it’s all kinds of righteous rock n’ roll, doused in gasoline, with a sonic swagger that would make Scott Morgan proud. Goodness gracious!
Check out the video for “High Horse” from Burning Your House Down!
The Main Street Gospel Love Will Have Her Revenge
Tee Pee
Blowin’ in on the winds of yesteryear is The Main Street Gospel, a country-psych band with ties to Brian Jonestown Massacre and a sound so steeped in nostalgia and tradition you gotta blow the dust off of it just to discover the true treasure it really is. Love Will Have Her Revenge, the Ohio trio’s debut, is a laid back approach to the usual foot-stomp of mustache rock, and gets its point across by way of delicate pop melodies, tin cup blues, and breezy jams. While none of the songs here are exceptionally overpowering in their virility, they do have amazing breadth, depth, and reach, like the thick roots of an old and impressive tree. Not only that, but they shake and hum at times with a journeyman vibe, as the longest songs on deck (“Fool’s Gold,” “Ready to Shine,” and “She’s a Disease”) draw you into a solitary world of lonely rural squatting and the hallucinations it might induce with their 70s-inspired freak-folk rock. You’ll be able to hear a wide array of influences on this one, like Neil Young, Wilco, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Dead Meadow, and Blood Meridian, but in the end it’s just good ol’ rock n’ roll — vulnerable, honest, heartfelt, and a tad trippy.
Check out MSG performing the title track from Love Will Have Her Revenge!
Mind Spiders
The Main Street Gospel