Sunday 11 January 2009

Review - Marks Set Go - The Best Of You

Marks Set Go - The Best Of You

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7 out of 10

Oh shit. When I dropped by South Wales-based, Marks Set Go's MySpace page, I let out an audible sigh. Influences include Paramore??? Stereotypical AP-wannabees here we come, I thought. I popped in their new EP, The Best Of You and to my surprise and glee, was greeted by something resembling a cross between Braid and Bouncing Souls. Gadzooks, you gotta love this!

The Best Of You comes in at five tracks, with opener, the 62-second "Make Something" setting the stage for what's to come. The vocals, by 18-year-old Joe Lewis are reminiscent of a young Bob Nanna and the guitars are angular and melodic while the bass is rhythmic and locked in with the drums. It's the kind of thing you'd expect from the Jade Tree roster in '97, not from five young dudes in the UK in '09.

Another track worth mentioning is "Nothing Can Break Us Now." In addition to the praiseworthy pipes of Lewis, the rest of band offers up shout-and-response, especially during the bridge where they trade the lines, "We know we gotta make it / We know nothing can break us now." And you almost believe them.

If you long for the days when "emo" referred to music and not haircuts and bands like Jawbox, Knapsack and Texas Is The Reason were on the cusp then Marks Set Go will be a welcome reprieve from, well, Paramore.

Listen: www.myspace.com/markssetgo

Tracklist:
1. Make Something
2. The List Goes On
3. Nothing Can Break Us Now
4. Milk Was a Bad Choice
5. The Best Of You

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