I don’t know about reincarnation after this lifetime, but the musical version can reap great rewards. Reel the clock back a little shy of a decade and members of both outfits—as The Reds and Sweet J.A.P. (cover of Razorcake #18)—shared a split 7”. I don’t know about the transcendence of souls, but I do know that both the Marked Men (cover of Razorcake #22) and Birthday Suits continue to improving listeners’ quality of life in tangible ways. Marked Men: Okay, so Jeff Burke sings on the cover of Sweet J.A.P.’s “Oh My Pretty Face.” Sweet J.A.P. was mostly comprised of Japanese dudes living in the Midwest. Now Jeff is living in Japan. Coincidence? Perhaps I’m living in denial, but I’m placing the Marked Men in the “indefinite hiatus” brain file instead of “broken up.” Birthday Suits: Spazzy, two-piece Teengenerate-based rock’n’roll with a Shellshagian art bend. What a tidy, explosive mess they make, sounding much bigger and octopusal than just a duo. The goocher is that by the time this review sees print, this sucker’ll be totally sold out and hard to find and/or Ebay-dumb-expensive. That’s one thing I’m sure of.
–todd (Nice and Neat)