Mark’s Pick of the Week: Children of Desire by Merchandise

          

           Trying to describe to someone how music has effected you is like trying to tell them something in another language.  There is a very good chance they just won’t understand, and not for lack of trying.  It might just be the timing you hear it, or how you’re feeling, or maybe just something else that we’ll never know.  For whatever reason I hope you get out of this album what I did.

            Merchandise (and there are a few bands with this name, so you might want to use the links I have posted here) is an indie post-punk band from Tampa.  I mentioned before that post-punk is sometimes kind of a trash genre because a lot of things that are very different can fall under that category, but these guys definitely deserve a spot in this grouping. 

Most of the time I can pick out influences really well with bands, or at the very least ballpark it.  However, these guys are drawing from so many different sources every time one comes to mind I second guess myself.  It manages to be so familiar, and yet so unique. 

If you haven’t noticed at this point I’m kind of stalling for time because I’m not exactly sure about what I want to say about this album musically at least.  I feel like I’m trying to catch a tiger with a butterfly net, no matter what angle I approach it I’m not going to be able to get all of it.  The songs are ambient, poppy, tired, giant, hazy, spacey, sad, rich, punky, driving, real, and cold.  I’m sure once I post this I’m going to think of 5 more words I would like to add, and it’s still not all I could say.  I think you have to listen to this album to really get what I mean.

            If you go on the bands blog you can download a free copy of the album, and the rest of their discography as well as leave a donation.  Also check out their tour dates (none very near the blog, unfortunately.)  I was a bit leery of ending this post with a track because I really think this album should be listened to whole sale, so you can take in the whole scene instead of a snapshot, but if you are on the fence about checking these guys rap your ears around this.

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