Jet Black Records & words
~ Small Batch, Basement Produced Music for the DIY Connoisseur ~
Marquina
There are plenty of four-piece bands in Boise. A shitload. A cornucopia. There are quite a few four-pieces who manage to rock, in fact. But when you factor in technical skill, and songwriting ability, there is a precipitous drop in numbers. Maybe four, five bands? Six on the outside?
Well, rather than debating that all damn day, may I recommend Marquina? I’ve been a fan of this crew for a few months now, ever since I was informed of their Bandcamp page featuring an EP of unmastered demos; what I heard while listening to them, more than anything, was potential.
What I heard was the songwriting skills and the musicianship being something entirely on the upswing. Everybody’s used to hearing bands or artists either AT or PAST their peak. Bands level off. Even with the best, you get diminishing returns. Listening to Marquina’s Bomb Shelter demos, I’m hearing something that sounds fantastic, and is certain to get even better.
Marquina’s sound is a propulsive mix of sometimes jagged, other times droning, sometimes noisy guitars that don’t quite play the normal roles of lead and rhythm. The sound can be huge, like someone making chainsaw sculptures in a cathedral. Bass and drums are throbbing, persistent, and precise. A raw, sometimes dissonant male vocal intertwines with an angelic female vocal. Melodies at the forefront. It’s as if the band plucked shiny objects out of a barrel of razors.
Intrigued, I went to a concert at The Olympic where Marquina was second on the bill. Most of what they played was new, and virtually all of it was fantastic. I made a point of asking them, afterwards, how they felt about their performance. They sounded fairly underwhelmed. Frankly, I felt about the same as when I heard their demos awhile back: I heard great music made by people who can only get better.
Here’s the sting: Marquina is currently hard at work on their new album, which will soon be released right here on Jet Black Records’ website. It’s being engineered/produced by Chante Mestaz (who plays in Casual Worship, as well as Rodeo Screams). The latest news is that they’re very nearly finished. So expect to find their music here soon. And, moreover, there’s a strong likelihood we’re going to release a Marquina 7” sometime this coming Spring.
Well, rather than debating that all damn day, may I recommend Marquina? I’ve been a fan of this crew for a few months now, ever since I was informed of their Bandcamp page featuring an EP of unmastered demos; what I heard while listening to them, more than anything, was potential.
What I heard was the songwriting skills and the musicianship being something entirely on the upswing. Everybody’s used to hearing bands or artists either AT or PAST their peak. Bands level off. Even with the best, you get diminishing returns. Listening to Marquina’s Bomb Shelter demos, I’m hearing something that sounds fantastic, and is certain to get even better.
Marquina’s sound is a propulsive mix of sometimes jagged, other times droning, sometimes noisy guitars that don’t quite play the normal roles of lead and rhythm. The sound can be huge, like someone making chainsaw sculptures in a cathedral. Bass and drums are throbbing, persistent, and precise. A raw, sometimes dissonant male vocal intertwines with an angelic female vocal. Melodies at the forefront. It’s as if the band plucked shiny objects out of a barrel of razors.
Intrigued, I went to a concert at The Olympic where Marquina was second on the bill. Most of what they played was new, and virtually all of it was fantastic. I made a point of asking them, afterwards, how they felt about their performance. They sounded fairly underwhelmed. Frankly, I felt about the same as when I heard their demos awhile back: I heard great music made by people who can only get better.
Here’s the sting: Marquina is currently hard at work on their new album, which will soon be released right here on Jet Black Records’ website. It’s being engineered/produced by Chante Mestaz (who plays in Casual Worship, as well as Rodeo Screams). The latest news is that they’re very nearly finished. So expect to find their music here soon. And, moreover, there’s a strong likelihood we’re going to release a Marquina 7” sometime this coming Spring.
For the record, Marquina is:
Daniel Bagley: guitar and lead vocals
Rachael Couch: bass and vocals
KC Martin: guitar and vocals
Andrew Bagley: drums
