Analogman Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 Article by way of No Depression.comMarah (official website) Marah's long gestating new album has a title, a release date and another free download track.According to a note sent to fans via their email list, the new record is called Life Is A Problem and will be unleashed upon the world on June 1."Our goal this year is to play all over the globe and have fun bringing cool Rock n Roll music to cool people," the band said in the announcement.To tide fans over until the long player's arrival, Marah is distributing here a new track for free entitled "Waiting For A Devil," described as "a lilting, country-ass, gospel B-side/Out-Take." Donations for the song are also being accepted. This is the second time Marah has pre-circulated a track from the sessions via the web. Back in October, they similarly posted the song "Put 'Em In the Graveyard."Of the new song, the band says on its website:"This is a simple Folk/Gospel song written at a time when I was attempting to say as little as possible as a means of capturing more. It's about idle time, ever-shifting allegiance. It's about undying faith under severely tested patience. It's about trying to believe in invisible stuff," Dave Bielanko wrote in his post."We've 'sound checked' this song a lot more times then we've ever really performed it .... whenever we did perform it however, people really seemed to respond to its old fashioned simplicity and sincerity (huh). We've found that halfway through some seriously 'wordy' Rock n Roll gigs, this one can be a 'quiet storm' that hits pretty hard. It's a great pleasure to officially/unofficially release it here."What we'd really love to see is you guys download the song and listen to it on your i-Pods while walking alone on a snowy, evening street. Perhaps more songs deserve such a shake down. " Quote Link to post Share on other sites
myboyblue Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 I'll have to check it out. These guys are due for a breakout album. Way too talented of a band to be as unknown as they are. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 I did not know this until recently, but Dave Bielanko is the only original guy left in the band. Serge left in 2008. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hardwood floor Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 I did not know this until recently, but Dave Bielanko is the only original guy left in the band. Serge left in 2008. yeah, it's a bizarre situation don't know if i can think of a band that arrived with so much promise and has delivered so little the first record was fucking unbelievably great and their early live shows were mind-blowing and since then, they're really just drifted through lackluster songwriting, uneven records, constant personnel changes and rare live shows back in the day, i saw marah open for golden smog (sans tweedy) and they just blew 'em off the stage. i don't think the smog even wanted to perform that night. marah was transcendent Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Marah died 2 years ago. i have absolutely zero interest in this album Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 I suppose he is doing as Jay did with Son Volt; carrying on with the name regardless of who is in the band. I have not listened to the new songs yet, but I may check them out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Marah died 2 years ago. i have absolutely zero interest in this albumIt really didn't help that even the related members of the band couldn't even get along. Meanwhile the rest of the band kept getting fired or leaving. I would have to say that this won't be any kind of breakout for them; they are barely a band. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 yeah... and just the way it all went down, and considering how great of a dudes Serge, Adam, & Dave (Petersen), etc. were, it's just like a really ugly breakup where I couldn't help choose sides Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hardwood floor Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 I suppose he is doing as Jay did with Son Volt; carrying on with the name regardless of who is in the band. I have not listened to the new songs yet, but I may check them out. except ... The Search is better than Trace! Jay Farrar is a brilliant songwriter, underated singer and very capable front man, and the guys around him are important but not critical to the success of the music Marah's strength was as a band, not in the individual talents of the Bielenko's Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Jay Farrar is a brilliant songwriter, underated singer and very capable front man, and the guys around him are important but not critical to the success of the music Marah's strength was as a band, not in the individual talents of the Bielenko's100% spot on (minus the Trace comment ) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
myboyblue Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 Shit... I didn't even realize that Serge left. I'll definitely give this is a listen but that deflates me a bit for sure. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
theashtraysays Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 ^ +1. I like them a lot, but wondered why I hadn't heard much lately. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted February 19, 2010 Author Share Posted February 19, 2010 except ... The Search is better than Trace! Jay Farrar is a brilliant songwriter, underated singer and very capable front man, and the guys around him are important but not critical to the success of the music Marah's strength was as a band, not in the individual talents of the Bielenko's I disagree with that. I think when Mike Heidorn, DaveJim Boquis, and Eric Heywood were with Jay, it was a band. Not just some dudes he hired to play on a record and do a tour. They had feel - which I don't sense on the new Son Volt records. I don't know enough about Marah to know what their deal was, really. I have the first album - that is it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hardwood floor Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 I disagree with that. I think when Mike Heidorn, DaveJim Boquis, and Eric Heywood were with Jay, it was a band. Not just some dudes he hired to play on a record and do a tour. They had feel - which I don't sense on the new Son Volt records. the bryson/duplantis/spencer/walbourne lineup is incredible the best live son volt ever i don't particularly care for the last record, but i think The Search sure sounded like a band that had come together as a cogent unit ... IMHO Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted February 19, 2010 Author Share Posted February 19, 2010 The discussion here make me think of a thread on another message board I am on. That is, how some bands can change members, and carry on without any backlash, and other bands can do the same thing and be looked down upon for carrying on with the same name. It sounds like Marah is returning to their roots - is that true? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mjpuczko Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 marah is a huge hit/miss band for me. songs like dishwasher's dream/walt whitman/and a few others i absolutely love. the rest i can do w/o. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 marah is a huge hit/miss band for me. songs like dishwasher's dream/walt whitman/and a few others i absolutely love. the rest i can do w/o. even at their best, they were never a good studio band... their live show is the only reason they had the reputation (and now legacy) they do. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nodep5 Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 I know this is about Marah (which is a band that have had their moments for sure), but the whole Jay Farrar Son Volt issue always rings my bell. My two cents is, that I have never loved a band so much and then subsequently loathed a band as much as the old vs. new Son Volt. We all have our opinions and I know a lot has to do with how we came to know a band, but I believe it is an unbelievalbe stretch to put The Search any where close to Trace. And i completely agree with Analogman about the band Son Volt back in the day with Boquist Bros and Hiedorn compared to the new Son Volt lineup. I'm glad Jay continues to have an audience, but to my ears his stuff has been at times unlistenable in the past decade (with the exception of the recent collab with Ben Gibbard). I always feel like an ass with this whole Son Volt thing, but I use to dig this band more than anyone and the recent stuff just floors me in the wrong way. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 the worst part about the whole Son Volt thing wasn't that he changed all the members, it was that he'd initially asked the Boquists, etc. to reunite initially and they had said yes, and then weeks later after he wanted to dick them out of their $$ revenue share, he announced the completely different lineup. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nodep5 Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 At the end of the day, the whole band lineup is important to me, but the most important thing is the quality of songwriting. That is what I feel is much weaker now. That being said, The original Son Volt lineup was a freaking machine in terms of having their tight sound down pat. Maybe this is nostalgia (and by no means was Son Volt ever riveting live) but they were a steady workhorse with great songs. The new songs just sound like they are tyring too hard. Jay for me is becoming Bruce Springsteen. Just this serious/angry dude whose music is completely lost on me and voice grates on me after a while. I can't believe I would ever be there with Jay, but it is what it is. As a sidenote, I was listening to vinyl copy of Anodyne last week and Jay's songs during the run from March 16th - Anodyne- Trace are killer. He was on a roll. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hardwood floor Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 it's cool, nodep & solace ... i lost interest in wilco in kind of the same way you guys lost interest in son volt when jeff lost his ability to write good songs, i lost interest in wilco but for me, tracks like highways & cigarettes, methamphetamine, underground dream, the picture, jukebox of steel, cocaine and ashes, 6 string belief, afterglow 61 -- all from the last few son volt records - are as magical as anything on trace. and i love trace and was a huge uncle tupelo guy back in the day as well but jay is as good as ever. and the band is better than ever. walbourne is worth the price of admission alone. (just wish they'd do still be around or looking for a way out once in a while!) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Basil II Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 After reading this......there will be an Uncle Tupelo Reunion show................sometime. -Robert Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 Wow, how did a thread on Marah turn into a rant on Jay Farrar vs. Jeff Tweedy? Sure there will be a reunion of UT, someday, someway, when both artists are bored or need the money. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hardwood floor Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 can't imagine Jay & Jeff ever performing together no matter what Quote Link to post Share on other sites
people are leaving Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 As I've stated before, Highway & Cigarettes, Methamphetamine, and Dust of Daylight are the only true "classic" Jay songs from the last two records. I've regretfully never seen Marah live, but have been a fan since Kids In Philly. As far as I'm concerned, these are all great.(Note the absence of songs from Angels of Destruction save for one) FeverFormula, Cola, Dollar DraftPhantom EyesFirecrackerFor The Price of A SongRain DelayBaby LoveFaraway YouPoint BreezeMy Heart is the Bums on the StreetRound Eye BluesBarstool BoysThe CatfishermanThe History of Where Someone Has Been KilledSooner or LaterThe HustleCity of DreamsThe Demon of White SadnessWalt Whitman BridgeEastFeather BoaPigeon HeartAngels on a Passing Train Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.