Mares Of Thrace
The Pilgrimage
Sonic Unyon (2012)
Mares Of Thrace are a band apart from the norm. Merely sound-wise they stick outside of the given genre parameters. Meanwhile, one look at their facebook page or the statement they make in a live setting will give any people wanting to pigeonhole them a whole new headache. Let's get this out of the way first, Mares are a two … Read more
Maria Taylor
11:11
Saddle Creek (2005)
A spotlight can show a lot about a person. Over the course of her career Maria Taylor has been, arguably, the driving force behind both the bands Azure Ray and Now It's Overhead, as well as lending her talents to various other artists including Crooked Fingers and Moby. Despite gaining moderate recognition for her work with groups, Taylor's delicate style … Read more
Maria Taylor
Lynn Teeter Flower
Saddle Creek (2007)
One of the first reviews I ever did for this website was for Maria Taylor's debut solo album, 11:11. It's been two years since our respective efforts and I think it's safe to say that we've both matured. On Lynn Teeter Flower, a record named for a family friend, Taylor succeeds in capturing her own sound, rather than borrowing from … Read more
Marillion
F.E.A.R.
Intact (2016)
For a Marillion fan, a new album isn’t just a release – it’s an event. And as far as events go, on an ascending scale from a co-workers 30 day alcohol-free chip celebration, to a close cousin’s Harry Potter themed wedding, to the birth of your new baby, FEAR is more of a birth. A birth of ideas in a … Read more
Marillion
Happiness is the Road Volume 1: The Essence
Racket (2008)
In their twenty-six-year or so history, Marillion have never released a shitty album. Think of other bands that have been around; can they make the same claim? I think not. Sure, there's been albums that are less memorable, but actually bad? Not a one. Writer's block has never been an issue with a couple of exceptions, the releases are usually … Read more
Marillion
Happiness is the Road Volume 2: The Hard Shoulder
Racket (2008)
...and with volume two in the "Happiness is the Road" series, Marillion has the ship back on course. Kicking open the door with "Thunder Fly," The Hard Shoulder will have you feeling bad that you ever doubted the band in the first place. Way back in the early days Marillion struggled to separate themselves from comparisons to Gabriel-era Genesis, which … Read more
Marillion
Somewhere Else
Intact (2007)
Throughout their over twenty-five year history, Marillion and their music have maintained what many thought impossible: prog without pretension. This has been a key component to their rabidly loyal fan base. It would appear that nobody jumped ship after the band's loss of their original frontman, Fish, way back in 1988. What would have signaled the death of many a … Read more
Marillion
Sounds That Can't Be Made
earMUSIC (2012)
All bands have an expiry date; some bands are just more aware of that fact than others. And when an act has been around as long as Marillion has, it's not uncommon for their age to begin to show. Whether or not that is a bad thing is uncertain--some classic rock acts have put out some of their best material … Read more
Marilyn Manson
Heaven Upside Down
Loma Vista Recordings (2017)
It's a different world than when Manson made his debut over two decades ago and scared the shit out of everyone. He scared us because things felt relatively safe and calm. He was like a monster scaring a child out of the peaceful tranquility of their bed. Now that things are fucking bananas and chaos reigns and we know exactly … Read more
Marissa Nadler
Strangers
Sacred Bones (2016)
Marissa Nadler has been releasing albums since 2004, and her meticulous constructions of dream states has been astonishing since the first notes of “Fifty Five Falls.” Through the years, Nadler has shown her aptitude in songwriting, not solely by awakening an emotional response with her music, but also with a sense of certainty that became more and more apparent in … Read more
Mark Lanegan
Straight Songs Of Sorrow
Heavenly Recordings (2020)
Mark Lanegan didn’t set out to write a new album, but after finishing writing his memoir, Sing Backwards and Weep (Out now from Hatchette Books), the waves of catharsis were so strong, he returned to the studio to create what’s possibly his finest work to date.To call Sing Backwards... a cautionary tale would be meiotic to an almost laughable degree. … Read more
Mark McCabe
A Good Way to Bury Bad News
Cats? Aye! Records (2014)
On one end of an (unscientific) scale of popular male singer-songwriters sits Ed Sheeran, perched comfortably at the top of the charts while still maintaining an air of authenticity, and at the other end is pop supremo Bruno Mars, master craftsman of insuppressible earworms. Somewhere between these two sits Mark McCabe's brand of insular emoting, not quite hooky enough to … Read more
Mark Ronson
Version
Columbia (2007)
To steal from the classic Ben Stiller movie Zoolander, "Mark Ronson is so hot right now!" After producing the latest Amy Winehouse album, Lily Allen's debut, and the best bits of an otherwise awful Robbie Williams album, the New York based, London born hip-hop club DJ turned producer can do no wrong. And now, he's decided to rope in the … Read more
Mark Sultan
BBQ
In The Red (2016)
Mark Sultan has long gone by two stage names: his own, and BBQ (of King Khan & The BBQ Show). Most solo work has been truly solo: just Sultan, his guitar and his drums. That’s right: he’s a one-man band instead of a “singer-songwriter.” On BBQ, Sultan merges both names and both worlds.While I’m familiar with his work, for the … Read more
Marked Men
Ghosts
Dirtnap (2009)
From time to time certain friends of mine will make the same kind of declarations in the month of February that I do. And when statements like, "This might be the best record of the year," spew from their overexcited mouth while trying to tell me about a new album, I do indeed take notice. So, when such declarations of … Read more
Marnie Stern
In Advance of the Broken Arm
Kill Rock Stars (2007)
It took me a little while to hear the music in this music. At first and even tenth listen, Marnie Stern sounds more dedicated to experimentation, or newness, or maybe just weirdness than to melody or even song structure. Her ideas appear, collide, and disappear - she's less an architect than a demolition-woman. She presents a hook or riff and … Read more
Mårran
Mårran
S-Rock (2012)
Mårran are a traditional rock band out of Sweden, playing only the most barebones, no-frills hard rock possible. They take their name from the Groke, a Swedish character from the Moomins, who is a ghostly figure constantly in search of warmth and light, and yet able to achieve neither due to her innate coldness, freezing all that comes into contact … Read more
Mars Addict
Lamecoaster
Electric Funeral Records (2020)
Mars Addict from São Paulo, Brazil released their debut album Lamecoaster last summer. Summer seems the right time for a record like this. I listened to it a lot on my morning walks the past week. For the first time in months we’ve had sun here. It really feels like spring all of a sudden. And Lamecoaster just added to … Read more
