Classic Album Review: MARS ’78+’

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REVIEW – Let us be honest for a second. Any kind of art review is subjective. Whether that art be in the form of magazine, movie or music. I really enjoy the challenge of reviewing music. At times, I love the art house underground feeling of something different. I can remember when the world blasted the self-titled debut album by COBRA KILLER as being “junk” and Rolling Stone even called it “One of the ten worst cds ever.” I did not mind the low-fi attempt of creating a version of a cinematic experience. MARS on the other hand are a different kind of animal altogether. What attracted me to this band was that SONIC YOUTH has said on multiple occasions that they were influenced by this band. That being said, COBRA KILLER’s self-titled debut and SONIC YOUTH’s ‘Confusion is Sex’ are fucking masterpieces compared to this album.

There is not one thing accessible about this album. The bass riffs on this cd are the catchy part of the music. There is a ton of rumbling and music that seems to go from landscape to landscape without even trying or attempting to try and make sense. The drumming on this album sound like a caveman having rough sex. If you are a fan of BIG BLACK and what Steven Albini did on guitar, you will love the guitar sound on this record. There are no two songs on this album that can pass as similar. Is this record meant for consumption and enjoyment? That is a hard one! I am one of the biggest art music fan and there were moments on this album that got to be too much for me. This is like if you put a tape recorder in the middle of an all out riot and expected them to make an album based on that reaction. Being part of the No Wave scene, I was expecting something coming from the TEENAGE JESUS vibe. I am truly not sure what I got out of this record. I did not hate it, but yet I did not love it. There are elements that I enjoyed and some that I was questioning. I would say, if you are a fan of daring music, this cd could be the ultimate dare.