Marx Revolution
Summer Sampler 2005

The Marx Revolution’s Guido handed me this CD at the CT Ska Fest, and I was literally cringing at the thought of listening to it. The last time I had heard these guys recorded, it… was bad. But, Marx Revolution’s Summer Sampler 2005 boasts masterful guitar playing, a multi-faceted wind instrument section and too many styles to count. Having seen The Marx Revolution live, and knowing how insanely energetic their stage show is, I expected nothing less than this release. They pack ska, punk, hardcore, prog, rhythm and blues, circus music, and other things I can’t even name into only four songs. I mean, you can do a lot in 13:24, and The Marx Revolution figures out how to do all of it.

The first song, “Metaliska,” I had heard recorded previously, and almost despised it. But, seeing it live a few times gave me an appreciation for it, and hearing the newer version of the track made me enjoy it. The track starts with a chaotic drum, bass, and guitar intro, but quickly flows into danceable punk, and then into a ska-based trombone solo. As this song fades from punk with shredding guitar licks back to the soloed verse, The Marx Revolution almost makes it sound normal. Shortly after, another section of the song kicks in with a driving breakdown reminiscent of hardcore, and the song concludes with a tapped guitar solo that would leave any guitarist with a smile on their face. Although the horn solos sounded a little weak and unprepared, the song structure is rock solid. The next track is “Under the Big Top.” The beginning almost sounds like a Barry White tune, but all of the playing is very tight. I didn’t really dig the trombone lick thrown in, but the song soon moves along to a tight punk feel, solidified by excellent drumming and hard power chords in the guitar. The double time soon pauses, and in comes a 3rd wave melody in all the horns (including the flute) that even incorporates an odd time signature. I’ve gotta say that when the vocals came in, my mind was not blown, but they do fit Marx’s style. There are some sporadic horn licks that really don’t have the power they were meant to have because of the octave of the trumpet and the mixing, but it is well played. The song is mostly third wave until there’s a circus-themed breakdown that soon starts to speed up and ends in a chaotic mess that leaves all of Marx on the ground during their live show. Nuts. The third track, entitled “First Wave,” is just that… or as close as The Marx Revolution gets to it. The beginning is simple enough with tight guitar, bass and drum parts. The horn melody is simple and slow, but that’s just compared to the hectic complexity of the rest of the disc. The vocals are surprisingly rhythmic and catchy – even excellent at points. The horn parts under the vocals really solidify the track and make it catchy and listen-able. The sax solo in the tune is a little excessive, particularly due to the fact that Marx doesn’t have one in their live performance. There is also a bass solo towards the end of the tune that doesn’t really stay in key and made me stop the song the second time around. The song comes to a grinding halt when the guitar and bass stop playing and the drummer stops a beat later. The last tune isn’t very impressive recorded, but it sure left me with a smile on my face. I had heard “Kingdom Come Has Five Tits” both recorded and at the end of several of this band’s live performance, and I laugh my ass off every time I hear it. This review is long enough, so I’ll let you purchase the CD, especially since there are no words to describe this hilarious catastrophe…

Overall, this CD shows me that The Marx Revolution is making some progress, and they’re doing what they want to do, regardless of how anyone else feels about it. This sort of musical independence is really rare, but they’re gaining a fan base in a number of CT scenes and bringing people together. Pick up this CD if you get a chance and if they’re still producing them. I got mine for free, along with a pile of stickers, and I’m pretty sure you can too.

Reviewed By:  Todd Springer

Date:  Sat 2 Sep 06

Score:  8.0

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