The Maccabees
Marks to Prove It
Reviewed by: Ziggy Merritt
There’s something infectious about The Maccabees. Three years have been spent on their latest release, Marks to Prove It. In those three years they’ve experimented with their sound and direction to arrive at something unrestrained and pure to the spirit of the band. Most of the tracks are inspired by the unrefined beauty and history of London paired occasionally with foreign lands as seen on one of the opening tracks, “Kamakura.” What’s represented here is a band that finds themselves unbound by any particular trapping, having been previously constrained to the somewhat ambiguous label of post-punk revivalists.
Those post-punk elements are still here of course. What has changed is the manner in which they’re expressed. Incorporating piano, brass, and female backing vocals, Marks to Prove It flirts with heartbreak even elegance. This works well to distinguish themselves from a crowded field of UK indie rock acts that have approached the field of alternative rock with overt masculine roars. This attitude is exemplified in their latest single from the album, “Something Like Happiness.” From the understated bass line to a quiet break to piano and vocals, the track is filled with a subtle touch of charming masculine energy to resemble something more folk than punk.
“Slow Sun” has a similar effect, starting instead with the bleak entry of the trumpet followed by the faded sound of a female chorus backing Orlando Weeks earnest vocals. Nothing is drowned out on either of these tracks. Instead each idea is given room to breathe, expand, and intermingle.
Occasions still exist where the layering is not as smartly rendered. “Ribbon Road” begins with a jolting start and ends up overcrowded with bits and pieces of decent thoughts jumbled together with murmuring vocals. Meanwhile, “Kamakura” too often erupts in a sudden shout of noise that does not do much to propel the momentum of the song forward. More minor grievances exist but if anything this is to be expected. Experimentation does not exist without hits and misses and for the most part, The Maccabees get things right. A turn-of-the-century, industrial aesthetic pervades much of the album’s inner workings. Whether this is purposeful or my own takeaway is yet unknown, but it’s fitting all the same. In an age where technology seems unlikely to plateau, Marks to Prove It harkens back to a time where even the sky was no limit to success.
Rating: Bad-Ass
