Album Review: The Marked Men – On The Other Side

Dirtnap Records will release On the Other Side from Marked Men on November 23rd, it collects all the non album tracks that were originally released between 2003 and 2010, along with two previously unreleased tracks. It’s been close to fifteen years since Dirtnap Records first released a Marked Men record, since then the label has done close to twenty releases by their various bands, including Radioactivity, High Tension Wires, Potential Johns and Mind Spiders, so if there has ever been a flagship band for Dirtnap Records then Marked Men are it. Although they continue to play a handful of shows each year, the band hasn’t released any new material since 2009 and have no plans to do so, so it would seem that this compilation is as close to a new album as you’re going to get. 

 

On The Other Side immediately hits you with a perfect piece of power pop in the shape of She Won’t Know, from here the album takes you on a whistle stop tour of The Marked Men‘s sporadic singles, splits and compilation appearances. There are moments that hint at the bands the members of The Marked Men would eventually evolve into, especially the recordings by the Mind Spiders, on a compilation that spans a septet of years and demonstrates that The Marked Men were no one trick pony. On The Other Side continues to veer between styles that all bleed into each other, the tracks somehow manage to compliment each other so perfectly that it’s hard to believe this album wasn’t a planned release rather than collection of sixteen random tracks recorded over seven years. For the uninitiated, and prior to writing this review I am sad to admit that I am amongst that number, On The Other Side is a perfect introduction to The Marked Men.

 

Normally a collection of non album tracks would be a hit and miss affair but this is not the case with On The Other Side, the album is an essential collection of raw and primitive cuts that embrace garage punk, psych, punk rock and power pop. If you aren’t familiar with The Marked Men then On The Other Side is a collection that demonstrates exactly what you’ve been missing out on. The recordings jammed onto this sprawling compilation are testament to a band that have continued to deliver the goods with their other outfits. Whilst The Marked Men are on hiatus, apart from a few sporadic concerts, we can still dream of a reunion and a new album to allow latecomers to catch up with a band that are too good to be forgotten.

 

The Dirtnap Records website can be found here