So I finally get to see the new band that has been consistently pumping through my stereo, MP3 player, computer, and car since the songs first appeared online; and yes, this is a familiar sound coming from John Reis and his compatriots, but there is something undeniably in The Night Marchers' music which compels repetitive listening of their album, See You In Magic. The setting for this show is wholly appropriate (The Night Marchers are headlining a Mummers club and it kind of reminds one of the club that is burned to the ground in Goodfellows only with a stage complete with a mirror spread behind it, a disco ball, and a banister acting as a barrier); it is such a classic scene and really quite perfect for the evening's festivities. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a giant poster for the band with a price list for assorted paraphernalia to document one's attendance at their shows, and as my gaze allows my mental accounting of what there will be to possibly purchase, I see it; yes, there is a 7" record that the band is offering, and my excitement for the show jumps up about a thousand notches (what can I say, I am a vinyl nerd). But what could possibly be on said record?
When The Night Marchers do take the stage, that question is still plaguing me and as they launch into their set. I forget about it for the forty-five minutes or so that they proceed to lie down some fierce rock and roll and crack some great stage banter. The last couple of songs that Reis and company play are not off of See You In Magic, and to top it off, they are pretty damn good songs; now my thoughts return to the 7". Could these songs be on that record? If they are, the record would be mine (again, huge vinyl nerd and obsessive collector of bands' material); actually as long as any of the songs are non-LP tracks then the record would be mine. When I go to purchase said record, the inscrutable Gar Wood (guitarist of The Night Marchers and former bassist of the Hot Snakes amongst other projects) personally hand stamps the cover and hands it to me in exchange for my hard earned cash; and what luck, the three songs on this record are not on See You In Magic at all which makes the record even better.
Listening to Scene Report (my title as there does not seem to be one on the record and it is the A-Side), the "title-track" is one of the two new songs that The Night Marchers played as a tease the night before at their show. And allow me to say now, it is one of their best songs already. "Scene Report" is an upbeat number with an awesome vocal part (it is really a bunch of gibberish but is completely fun to sing along to in one's living room and with the band at their show as some of those who follow the band around seem to suspiciously already know the song); a wholly excellent addition to the quickly growing oeuvre of The Night Marchers and makes tracking this seven inch down for owning this fine song. The other two tracks - "Big Enough" and "Love, Death & Cell Phones" - are not the roiling barn burners that "Scene Report" is but they still fit with some of the more brooding pieces that The Night Marchers offer.
So in answer to the initial question, there are three songs on this nifty 7" record that are not to be found on See You In Magic which makes for a more than welcome if not completely necessary piece of vinyl to own, and right now Scene Report is only available from the band on tour (for a reasonable amount of money) though it might find its way to the Swami online store once the tour is complete. The answer to the second question, no, only one of the songs, "Scene Report" is here (again, an excellent song); but the other song is not to be found which is both unfortunate because now there will be an indeterminate amount of waiting until that song is available on record and fortunate because, seeing as how it is another great song (truthfully, it is one of my favorite songs that I have heard so far from The Night Marchers), it is something to look forward to from the band. If you enjoy the album, track down this 7" and add it to your collection; you will surely appreciate it.
