Kal Marks – “Parking Lot”
Before Kal Marks releases their sophomore full length LP Life is Murder on September 17th, it’s worth noting that Carl Shane (vocals/guitars) sounds a bit like Isaac Brock; that’s assuming Isaac Brock was going through a fit of depression, loaded on a couple muscle relaxers, and holding down a bottle of cheap whiskey on an empty stomach. Going beyond the Modest Mouse-tinged sound that seems to envelop everything this loud Boston trio touches, there’s something endearing and early ’00s sounding about the select cuts from their LP Life is Murder, including “Parking Lot”, the second single, which is loaded with three minutes of blistering distortion, Shane’s alt-rock/lazy drawl, and simple (but memorable) lyrics like “I remember the parking lot,” which seems to be about an experience in, well, a parking lot (just that simple, really). Their sound is heavy and rabid, which is perfectly balanced with introspective lyrics and the occasionally catchy hook. “Parking Lot” is a nice sample to tease a record that includes nine explosive tracks, including “Life is Murder” and “Where a River Starts and Ends”, two gems — if you ask me. This band should make the rounds on the Vans Warped Tour (assuming this is the year 2000, of course).
Life is Murder (September 17th, released by Exploding In Sound Records/Midnight Werewolf/Sophomore Lounge) track list:
1. Love is a Song, Not an Answer
2. Parking Lot
3. Peaking
4. Where a River Starts and Ends
5. Life is Murder
6. All I Want in Life is a Solid Porch
7. Swamp Playlist
8. The Fucking Ocean
9. Out in the Deep
Are you even vaguely aware of what Warped Tour was in 2000? I find your last sentence pretty difficult to swallow. According to the internet, these are the bands that played warped tour in 2000:
A New Found Glory, All for Nothing, Animal, Anti-Flag, The Ataris, Avail, B Side Players, Bueno, Bulemics, Chuck D & Confrontation Camp, Darlingtons, The Deviates, The Donnas, Fenix TX, Flogging Molly, FON, Good Riddance, Hellafied Funk Crew, The Hippos, Hot Water Music, Jurassic 5, Less Than Jake, The Line, Long Beach Dub Allstars, The Lunachicks, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Millencolin, MXPX, NOFX, One Man Army, Save Ferris, Saves the Day, Snapcase, Sting Rays, Suicide Machines, Toledo Show , TSOL, Unwritten Law
A hugely cheesy pop-punk lineup. Embarrassingly so. I challenge you to articulately compare Kal Marks to any of these bands in a meaningful way. Seriously, try harder. Kal Marks deserves better than this. Maybe reach deeper than modest mouse, warped tour, and ozzie osborne in your musical comparisons?
-Kal Marks Fan