Actually FROM MARS are FROM NEWPORT, Wales, which to them may or may not be the same difference. The title of their debut album refers to the fact that it took 23 hours to record, produce, master and release it. Given the extreme brevity of execution you may not be surprised to learn that this 3-piece do not cite the likes of The Stone Roses, The Blue Nile or indeed Steely Dan as key influences. You may however be surprised to learn that despite the breakneck pace at which the tracks have been laid down on the whole this debut is an absolute belter.
As punk as you like (and I like) the hasty speed of turn around has done nothing to detract from the simple fact that this lot can write a cracking tune and then deliver their songs with real power, a fair modicum of noise and no small amount of skill. Yes it’s rough and ready and you can spot the places where some extra time would have helped iron out the mistakes or added some reinvigoration through rearrangement but as an exercise in capturing a moment or a feeling it wins hands down. Honourable mention should go to the engineers and producer at 48v (for whom this was also a debut) who kept the quality threshold so high.
Musically the band skirt around the history of punk and post-punk with everything from The Damned (e.g. the opening bars of the fab 1’57” of ‘Disingenuous Lullaby’) through to The Pixies (‘Piffle’) and up-to-date as a harder Bloc Party (‘Angus Cope’) or a rougher and more agitated Franz Ferdinand (‘Who is David David?’). And that’s only a fraction of the cut ‘n’ paste arrangements that hold together pretty well given the breathless setting. Vocally lead singer Jonny is like a cross between Robert Smith, the late great Billy MacKenzie and even at times Mark Burgess - The Chameleons’ sound also cropping up in a couple of places (e.g. ‘Shot 2 Pieces’). Despite the references all these songs shine through with ideas and song-writing talent that belong to FROM MARS.
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It’s not all plain sailing: the album doesn’t exactly run out of steam but a smattering of the back end tracks sound as if they were played with only just enough adrenalin and alcohol to keep everyone ticking over rather than kicking off. This in itself is no crime but things do go a flat across one or two of the songs.
To be honest though in the context of the whole 1380 minute exercise this critical nit-picking is virtually redundant: most of ‘23’ sounds like a riot and a blast and its kinetic energy is real and addictive. I mean come on, you’ve got to love a band with a song called ‘(Fantastic Boat On A Sea Of) Piss’!
FROM MARS have yet to cool off from their efforts as they’ve also booked themselves a 23 date tour of the UK through March and April to promote the album. After that they’re in search of management to allow them to concentrate on their “creative side”.
On that basis: go buy, go see and someone go sign.
www.from-mars.co.uk
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