Marked Men “On The Other Side” LP is finally shipping, also out digitally!

Teal vinyl sold out in preorders, so we did a “surprise” pressing of 300 on white, which are also going fast! Get yours now!

Order LP Here

Stream On Spotify Here

Stream on Apple Music Here

Download On Bandcamp Here

It’s hard to believe that it’s been close to fifteen years since Dirtnap first released a Marked Men record. Since then, the label has done close to twenty releases by their various bands, (Marked Men, Radioactivity, High Tension Wires, Potential Johns, Mind Spiders). If you count the releases Mark Ryan and/or Jeff Burke had a hand in recording, that number goes even higher. It’s a relationship that continues to this day, if there is/has been a “flagship band” for Dirtnap, Marked Men and their various offshoots are it. The band hasn’t released any new material since 2009 (the last album came out in 2008.), and they probably won’t, so this singles comp is as close to a new album as it’s going to get. Marked Men still plays a handful of shows every year, but has no plans to release any further new material.

Their affinity for fast, choppy power chords and manic energy is well-collected here: “Like Robots” carries a propulsive floor tom x guitar line a la Buddy Holly with some harmonizing oooh’s. “That Kid” is all snotty “gonna beat you up” energy, fueled by bubbling instrumentation. “Go Cry” ramps this notion up yet even more. Lead track, “She Won’t Know” has all the 70s feels – leather jackets and motorbikes fueled by TaB and orange Crush. The ballad-like “The Other Side” flirts with deeper feelings with a slowed-down sincerity, while Whip Myself” leads off with a ringing guitar-lead-in and gives way to an ultimately melodic vs melancholy punk breakup song. The band stretches its legs throughout this solid closing credits collection and shows why it’s one of the leaders of a sound that has never gone (or will go) out of style.

This LP collects all non-LP tracks released by the Marked Men, originally released in the period between 2003 and 2010 on labels such as Dirtnap, Swami, No Idea, Shit Sandwich, and Mortville, plus 2 never-before-heard unreleased tracks for deep in the vault.

Track List:

1. She Won’t Know
2. Nothing’s Changed
3. On
4. The Other Side
5. Too Pretty To Fuck
6. Whip Myself
7. Lost It All
8. Oh My Pretty Face
9. Like Robots
10. Wait Here Wait For You
11. I Can’t Be Good
12. Nothing Worthwhile
13. Settle Down
14. That Kid
15. Disappear
16. Go Cry

Track List:

1. TAD – Jack
2. Cherubs – Shoofly
3. Laughing Hyenas – Wild Heart
4. Die Kreuzen – Gone Away
5. Killdozer – Lupus
6. The Crucifucks – Wisconsin
7. Cosmic Psychos – Dead Roo
8. Young Fresh Fellows – Sittin’ On A Pitchfork
9. The Fluid – Our Love
10. Gumball – Accelerator
11. Urge Overkill – Faroutski
12. The Singing Irishman – Balloon Man

Pre-order Here

American Noise: Vol. 2 is the anticipated second limited edition vinyl release soundtrack companion to The Smart Studios Story, a groundbreaking documentary about the history of Madison, Wisconsin’s Smart Studios and its role in recording and supporting DIY/independent music in the Midwest. The critically acclaimed film chronicles 30 years of Midwest rock history and links early indie bands to the larger story of American rock history.

While American Noise: Vol 1 (available at www.thesmartstudiosstory.com) shared the earliest Butch Vig recordings of local, unsigned bands, Vol 2 includes artists who traveled from other scenes in the US to record at the fledgling studio between 1987 and 1993.

This era coincides with the growing reputation of producers Butch Vig and Steve Marker – two self-taught, DIY studio owners whose skills took the raw sound of local bands and created polished, powerful analog recordings. Through touring bands, college radio, and The Sub Pop Singles Club, their early work, most notably with KILLDOZER and DIE KREUZEN, caught the attention of credible indie labels like Sub Pop, Touch and Go, and Alternative Tentacles.

Following the release of Nirvana’s pivotal, Nevermind, both Butch and the studio received an explosion of attention. More and more artists sought to record with Butch and many of them wanted to do it in the crumbling, two-story red brick building on East Washington Avenue.

All of the tracks on American Noise Vol. 2 come out of this period.  Sonically, it spans the broad spectrum of Smart’s clientele at the time. Pop, acoustic, beat and the heaviest of heavy, chuck full of dirt, growl and thump the way Smart was always able to deliver.

One time only pressing of 500 on black vinyl. Sorry, no download coupon on this one.

Buy Here: https://bit.ly/2Op78nn

Stream On Bandcamp: https://bit.ly/2SlrnVy

Stream On Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2CInyEM

Stream On Apple Music: https://apple.co/2qbj8Pd

All mailorder copies come with free poster (while supplies last), free shipping in the U.S with $35 order. All copies of LP come with download coupon. CD version comes with the entire Living With Secrets 12″ as bonus tracks.

Texas trio Bad Sports release their fourth full-length to Dirtnap and with it, push their sound into a more modern sphere of punk. Orville Neeley (guitars / vocals), Daniel Fried (bass / vocals) and Gregory Rutherford (drums) have spent over ten years together and the progression is justified.

This time, the production quality is more lean and tense, giving an air that is decidedly frustrated, more world-weary. And not to say that this isn’t an enjoyable listen – it’s just not the kind of record to pogo in a pit and shotgun a beer to. Bad Sports has grown in substance.There’s a balance to keeping enough of the old and forging ahead with the new to remain relevant and compelling.

Fans will find much to get enthusiastic over and feel invigorated about as Bad Sports is still great at simply being a stripped-down classic-leaning punk band with deep power-pop vs. proto-punk feelings. Make no mistake, though: Bad Sports are not a “retro” band. Constant Stimulation is simply a timeless-yet-modern masterpiece, that sounds like it could have come out of just about any era of rock, but is also as NOW as anything else currently out there.

Their history with its Texas peers of the same ilk paired along with their time spent in projects like OBN III’s, Radioactivity, Wax Museums and VIDEO (among others), has served Bad Sports well. They’ve honed themselves into being a complicated and calculating rock machine instead of just a talented party band, dishing out fuzzed-out fury, chugging chords and yelled vocals. Now, there’s a little more finesse and more care taken to let Neeley’s words and voice ring out; as close to sing-singing the band has come on a record.

There’s a general nimble brightness to the production, throughout. Gone are the days of fuzz and total distortion making the songs into jumping fleas from one track to the next. Adding a little pacing and extending their palette – the lazy chug in “Everything We Wanted” is fed by ample tremolo and loiters in its own 90s slacker rock vibe while “Ode to Power” and “Constant Stimulation” could be intertwined among the tracklists of the newest Rolling Blackouts C.F. or Shame records – equalizes things a bit because the main chunk of this record is straight-up punk, fed on busted pieces of guitar strings and broken drumsticks. It’s lean and tough.

2012’s King of the Weekend and 2013’s Bras was love (and lackthereof)-focused, covered in equal parts, sweat, lipstick, beer, grime and glitter. Granted, there are little flashes of heartbreak thrown in on Constant Stimulation, but not quite like before. This record moreso broils and stews over a response to the modern world and its eroding and addling effects, kicking its lyrics out to be heard clearly. No track exemplifies this better than the title track on which Neeley sings, “I need constant stimulation in my ears and in my eyes or I don’t sleep at night…deprivation chambers only worsen my dreams.” Maybe this more spaciously spare sound is their response to that veritable constant stimulation. Welcome to the modern age.

Very excited to announce a Marked Men singles comp, out Nov 23rd. Features 2 unreleased tracks! Listen to Nothing’s Changed (originally the b-side of a 7″ on Shit Sandwich) here. 

Tracklist
1. She Won’t Know
2. Nothing’s Changed
3. On
4. The Other Side
5. Too Pretty To Fuck
6. Whip Myself
7. Lost It All
8. Oh My Pretty Face
9. Like Robots
10. Wait Here Wait For You
11. I Can’t Be Good
12. Nothing Worthwhile
13. Settle Down
14. That Kid
15. Disappear
16. Go Cry

The title track from Bad Sports “Constant Stimulation” out now on retail! 3rd song from the album to make Apple’s Breaking Rock playlist!

Listen on Apple Music:
https://apple.co/2CbBRkI