Straight out of, well, nowhere (upstate New York apparently, but I’d never heard of this lot before) comes Marathon, a band well-equipped to take up residence in a lot of people’s ‘My New Favourite Band’ lists. As long as you like kinetic melodic punk rock that is, and if you’ve ever nodded your head to a bit of Strung Out or put on Alkaline Trio when the nights draw in quickly, then Marathon could well be in line for some worship.
For a debut album ‘Marathon’ is startlingly assured. There’s a complexity and consistency of sound that suggests a huge confidence in their abilities – the caustic opening to ‘Painting By Numbers’ or the way ‘Some Lovely Parting Gifts’ punches its way through your eardrums without pausing for breath is a joy to behold. Vocally, think Matt Skiba with a lisp, but not without adding a healthy depth that elevates Marathon above the usual punk rock fare. Dissecting this album doesn’t help – fuzzed guitars, big choruses, deepandmeaningfulcore lyrics – because separately the elements appear to be those that that have characterised every half-decent album from New York in the last half-decade. That’s why ‘Marathon’ is such a delight – it really shouldn’t be any good, but it manages to be quite stunning.
It’s likeable because there appears to be a complete lack of ego or throughout the album. ‘Home Is Where The Van Is’ takes familiar ideas and relocates them in a swirl of guitars and drums while ‘Gravity’s Temptation’ successfully avoids triteness to become a moving anthem to isolation. There’s a Weezer-like strain of emotion that collides with the Strung Out pace, making everything just that little bit removed from the expected. And it pays dividends, because by buying ‘Marathon’ now you’ll be ensuring popularity in the next couple of years because you got there first.
Ben
www.marathonarmy.org
