Customer Reviews

20,000 Streets Under the Sky

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'd never heard Marah before picking up 20,000 Streets Under the Sky. It took a few listens before I realized how great this album is. Why the geniuses at Rolling Stone can go on promoting musical wonders such as Brittney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Nickleback and then badmouth an honest and literate rock band like Marah is beyond me. If you have any integrity you should stay away from low-grade magazines like RS that celebrate and promote music for stupid people.
This album is exellent - best I've heard all year so far. Pick up a copy, give a few listens to sink in, and then reap what you've sown. You're going to make a lot of mistakes during the course of your life but purchasing '20,000 Streets Under The Sky' won't be one of them.

Rolling Stone started commenting on this band by saying "a couple of guys from Philly trying to hard to be country", this was in reference to their masterpiece debut record "Let's Cut The Crap and Hook Up Later On Tonight". This time around, on their fourth release "20,000 Streets Under The Sky", Rolling Stone exclaims the band is trying to hard to sound like Philadelphia. ZZZzzzzzzzzzz, does anyone still buy this rag?

First of all, what is wrong with trying hard?

I for one, appreciate the effort...street sounds...in depth lyrics and layered production the band offers up. 20,000 Streets puts Marah right back where they need to be...in the hearts and minds of their fans. With lyrics as original as "They call me Soda cause when I was a baby, my mother was so young that soda was all she gave me. It made me sickly so that's why I shake like I'm scared or something but Hanna, I ain't", their characters breathe life into every track. While this album is a far departure from "Float Away", the band continues with a fair amount of cohesiveness from album to album. They started with a scrappy down home sound (Let's Cut the Crap), leaped into action and straight out of bounds with the stunning "Kids in Philly", followed the alternative radio oriented sound into "Float Away" and came back with "20,000 Streets Under The Sky" - an album that seems to combine all three album tendencies together and takes you down a path you want to wear out so bad the grass never grows again.

Second, what is wrong with Philadelphia?

Lot's of amazing music came from this city. From 50's do-wop to the 70's Quiet Storm sound, this city has always been loaded with talent and ingenuity. Not to mention...the discovery of electricity itself and the creation & signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Well I declare RS to be BS. There is nothing wrong with a little self-discovery and true self-discovery takes time and effort, something Marah has had all along. A band who isn't afraid to experiment & try out different styles, but also knows when to come home.

This is just round 4, and Marah has enough to go all 15.

I first heard this album while interning at British music mag Big Cheese. From the very first song I knew this album was special. There is no band around quite like Marah, for the life of me I can't figure out why it doesn't get radio play. With all the crap being released it's nice to see someone can get it right. If I could only own one album, this would definately make the final cut.

I can't stop listening to this record. This is the first time
in years I have loved EVERY song on an album. These guys are the real thing...trust me. My favorite song(and they're all gems) is the title track....it's a instrumental classic.

Listen up everyone...if you like great music, this little band from Philly has been at it for some time now and it's time they got their due...on their own , that is without the inevitable critics comparing the hell out of them to Mr. Springsteen. Yes, Bruce did play on their last album but not many people noticed. Well, if you haven't heard them yet, go pick up "Kids in Philly", their first masterwork, or heck, just get this one. They both are love letters to the streets, the streets they've grown up on, the streets they've played on, the streets they live. They definitely have grown up, writing songs more mature than ever. It's not pretty in the conventional sense...but man do they make it sound great. Syncopated handclaps, the banjos, and yes the glockenspiel (hope I spelled correctly), the soaring guitars, great streetcornerlike singalongs, and the songs... The characters jump out at you larger than life. Freedom Park is irresistable with it's shimmy shimmy ko ko bop chorus, Feather Boa (so sad, so rockin', simply brilliant)...hell they're all amazing. The Brothers Bielanko have done it again...Just listen, you'll thank me later.

After recently seeing these guys in action, I have to say that they are one of the better original sounding bands that has hit the pub scene in quite a while. Energy. That seriously sums it up. They have got to be one of the only bands that I have seen that actually sound good on their CD, but even better in person.

I know how it is... you keep looking and looking, trying new music, hoping to come across something (hell anything) that doesn't just suck. Let alone finding something great. Look no further. This may be the greatest band you have never heard of. I'm not going to go into details about the ragged and torn approach to the music, the layer upon layer of instruments and sound, the pure poetry and grit of the lyrics. I'll just put it like this: Get this recording and anything else Marah you can lay your hands on. 20K Streets is great. Kids In Philly is even better (perhaps the best strait ahead rock record in the last 20 years, so 20K Streets has alot to live up to). But grab anything you can. Start with Kids In Philly, 20K Streets, Let's Cut The Crap And Hook Up Later On Tonite, even the much maligned pop experiment Float Away With The Friday Night Gods has at least 4-5 gems. Marah may indeed be the last rock n' roll band.

If you have never heard of these guys, I'm jealous, because I would love to start all over again.

I'm an avid fan of pandora dot com, a website that lets you create your own radio station. Today, "Freedom Park" by Marah came on, and it blew my mind. I immediately downloaded the whole album from iTunes, and I love every minute.

If you were at SXSW this year the buzz on this great band was tangible. Of all the great bands I saw at SXSW (including Drive by Truckers, Bottle Rockets, Graham Parker, James McMurtry), Marah simply stole the show. This album, their fourth, builds on the energy of their live show and the result is a diverse, dynamic, rockin' album that fulfills this great bands promise. As you listen you'll hear the influences - the Replacements, Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Van Morrison, and Motown - come together in a unique package that is familiar and yet completely different than any other CD you have bought this year. More than just a collection of great songs, this is a traditional album (with two distinct sides as noted on the back cover of the CD) that flows from beginning to end. 20,000 Streets is a great story told by a band that has a sense of history and a sense of place. As a final note, when Marah comes to your town (see the schedule at www.marah-usa.com) my advice is run, don't walk, to see the show. As much as I love this record you need to experience this band live to truly appreciate their talent.

I could go on for pages about how this band deserves more attention and should sell way more albums than they have, but I believe brevity may be the soul of whatever. MARAH ROCKS. Plain and simple. Unabashed, authentic, American rock and roll. At least the Amazon editors know a good thing when they hear it. I will buy whatever Dave and Serge are selling.