JESSE MALIN & THE ST MARK'S SOCIAL

LOVE IT TO LIFE

One day I will find out who it is who sends me all of this Jesse Malin, Butch Walker and similar stuff… no really I would like to meet them because even though it may not be my day to day diet I get a lot out of it, honestly…

What rock means to anyone these days is fragmented to say the least. If you think of it as anything with guitars and an attitude then this fits the bill; but to be honest again it is NOT hard rock and not heavy. What it is though, is a great pop rock album with tinges of Ryan Adams (though better than latter-day Ryan Adams) and a heap of cool summer-breeze songs. And if you are in the mood for something up-tempo and happy followd by a bit of emotion then this is for you.

Anyone familiar with the name will probably know a bit of the Jesse Malin back-story: the hardcore band Heart Attack and the glam punk (and great) D Generation in particular. Well to be honest there’s nothing like that here.

One of the best on a pretty consistent album has to be the great opener ““Burning The Bowery” with it’s great chorus and rhythm backbone. “All The Way From Moscow” is almost as good and again pretty upbeat.

As far as sure-fire winners go “St. Mark’s Sunset” is one of my favourite tunes here, though the hypnotic “Low Life in High Rise” could get the ladies interested. “Burn The Bridge” however is the killer tune. Almost a pop take on someone like the Screaming Trees, it's just great.

There's a diversity in sound on here too: there’s pop, folk, even a bit of a Latin tinge here and there which all keep it interesting. Jesse Malin may not be a name on everyone’s lips but this is a very assured album and the guy writes a great song. What I like most I think is how simple he makes it all sound, like a modern day Neil Young. I’d like it heavier but it still works for me. Love to see this guy live…

If you are feeling like something a bit different you could certainly do worse.

Mark