Band: Mark This Day
Title: Demo EP
Label: N/A
Release Date: 2009
Review By: Scott L
Tracklisting:
- Shadows Fall On Backs Of Branches
- Long Versions Of Short Stories
I love getting to review music. And my favorite part of being a reviewer is getting exposed to so much great music. It comes from everywhere. Places you’d never guess… in ways you’d never imagine. Sometimes in a trickle. Sometimes in a flood. Conversely, the worst part of reviewing music is that sometimes the sheer quantity makes it nearly impossible to stick with any single band for any real length of time. There’s always something else in the mailbox, inbox, or being handed to you that’s just begging for your undivided attention. So with such time constraints inherent to the business, sometimes it’s nice when all you get from a band is a short, succinct 2-song demo EP. Especially when it’s a quality EP. Because sometimes, as they say… whoever ‘they’ are… good things can come in small packages.
Mark This Day is a 4-piece out of Minneapolis, Minnesota that’s gearing up to grab a bit of the hardcore market. I’m not sure that I can put my finger on the exact reason, but I really dug these guys right off the bat. It’s not that it’s so totally new or unique. For the most part, their brand of hardcore is pretty standard. It’s just that they do it really, really well. Everything just sounds right. It sounds big. And it sounds like a teaser release by industry pros. It’s smooth. It’s polished. And it really piques your interest.
You can think of these guys as something along the lines of Before Their Eyes, Herbrightskies, and Paddock Park. Mark This Day also tosses in a pinch of electronics to round out the sound, but not so much that it throws things off kilter. It’s all about musical sensibility and timing; the right sound in just the right spot.
Lyrically, these guys pack a pretty straight forward message into their songs. At least the two on the EP. Which is nice to see since a lot of the bands playing this style seem to put more thought into the nonsensical track names than the lyrics to the tracks themselves. Regret resulting from disobedience to God and then God’s faithfulness to His people through hardship and trial. “I see your hurt / I see your pain / I know your guilt / and I know your shame / my love is the same / it’ll never change”. Heavy and encouraging.
The standout track was a coin toss decision. With only two tracks to choose from, both of which were fairly balanced on my personal enjoy-o-meter, it had to be one or the other. Okay, so I didn’t really flip a coin. Both had standout moments, but I’d have to give the edge to “Shadows Fall On Backs Of Branches”.
Overall: Mark This Day has what it takes to make things happen. Post a promise of a full-length release of this quality music and you’d have folks sweatin’ like a fat man at a free dance. There’s an old saying that goes, “How much do you feed a horse to get a full day’s work out of him? Just enough to let him know that he’s hungry”. This is just the kind of teaser EP that whets the appetite for more. This is a band to keep your eyes on. So do. And if you’re an able drummer, give ‘em a shout… word is they’re in the market.
www.myspace.com/markthisdaymusic