Marx Revolution
Vol. 2

I love Marx Revolution’s style of CD production. I was handed another disc by Gary (Marx’s lead vocalist and singer), which essentially looked the same as the last: slim green CD case, black and white insert which wasn’t cut, but ripped into a square, and Staples CD-R with the track names written on it. It really shows that these guys aren’t into getting famous or producing themselves, just into the music and the fun. The last time I saw Marx was at Ska is Dead 3, and their crowd turned the floor into a war zone. I’ve never seen Skankin’ Richard get pummeled so much in my life, but everyone has fun and skanks, moshes, two steps and whatever else kids do these days.

After hearing Marx Revolution’s “Summer Sampler” and being relatively impressed, I wasn’t dreading hearing this disc quite as much. The first track, “I’ve Had Enough” kicks off with tight drums, guitar, and bass that I’ve grown to expect from Mark Revolution. However, when the horns come it, the mixing, playing, blend and balance between the trumpet and trombone is horrendous. This sounds like a completely different horn section than their last release, and I was really shocked. The up-stroked verses and guitar-driven punk sections are awesome, but the horns come up way short of the rhythm section. The vocals are pretty good, and at least fit with the high energy of the track, especially with the hardcore screams of the chorus. The transitions from the hardcore to ska are really cool, but again the horns come in and really make you want to turn the track off. The second song, “James,” seems to be a huge reduction is quality from the first track, almost like it’s recorded live or with one microphone hung above the entire band. You can barely tell there are vocals until there are screams, which are really loud and obnoxious – almost comical. There are no horns, so that eliminates that aspect, but it doesn’t make the track more enjoyable. The next track, “Tape Song” is really tight, but has the same recording quality as “James,” with no clarity or vocal volume. When Gary screams, it again sticks out of the track and sounds pretty putrid. The entirety of the song is punk, and without horns, clarity, complex structure, or anything really unique, it seems like a giant step backwards and a waste of the awesome musical talent that’s in the band. I got really psyched when I saw that “Power Rangers” was gonna be on this disc, as it’s probably my favorite cover by a CTSka band besides “Toxic” by Fortunado. The quality of this track is a lot better than the previous two, and when the lyrics came in, I almost peed my pants laughing. The Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers are already hardcore, but Marx makes them even better. The track is short and sweet, and I really appreciate the guitars and quality, especially compared to the previous two. There’s even a hidden track, which is “Kingdom Come Has Five Tits.” This is the last track on the band’s last demo, and it’s how they end their live show, so this is pretty appropriate. I actually like this version better than the previous one, but not because of the quality, but because it’s a lot tighter and equally as humorous.

This demo is definitely not anything worth bragging about, and is not even close to Marx Revolution’s best work. The cheap and unprepared exterior definitely prepares the listener for what’s on the inside. I’d definitely recommend seeing Marx Revolution live any day for some crazy antics and awesome instrumentation, which is not adequately represented on this demo.

Reviewed By:  Todd Springer

Date:  Sat 2 Sep 06

Score:  4.0

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