The Marches: Director of Photography
The Marches‘ debut album, 4 A.M. Is the New Midnight was a combination of electro, funk, and R&B that garnered the band critical acclaim as well as a decent fan base. They follow up their 2008 effort, with a new digital EP, Director of Photography.
From the onset, it is obvious that a lot has changed in the two years since we have heard from the Marches. Opening track “Big City” is a trippy piano ballad, like The Flaming Lips covering Coldplay. The track is weird and hardly what I expected from the group.
Expecting the unexpected seems to be the name of the game for this EP. “Black Swan (White Swan Version)” is a disjointed acoustic track that has an early Modest Mouse feel to it. Unfortunately, distorted horn blast make the song nearly unlistenable.
“Cold Shoulder” is the song that closest resembles the Marches’ debut album. The track is funky with some falsetto female vocals and great horns. The track sounds like something Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings might perform.
A live version of “Need Me Back” from 4 A.M. Is the New Midnight finishes off the EP. The live version is very stripped down. The track only features saxophone, bass, and vocalist, Briana Nadeau. Sure the track is soulful but it does not feel very exciting.
In the end, “Cold Shoulder” is the only song I really liked on the EP. The live “Need Me Back” was interesting for one listen but certainly is not a track I am going to be going back to listening again and again. Maybe it is because I had high hopes for the EP that I feel so disappointed but to me it just does not hold a candle to the Marches’ stellar debut.
Rating: 3.8/10
MP3: The Marches “Cold Shoulder”
Buy: iTunes