The Mark Vodka Group - Shadow Of Your Former Self

  It's been 18 months since I posted a wonderful Buzzcocks inspired track by The Mark Vodka Group (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-mark-vodka-group-everybodys-punk-now.html) and predicted that their debut album would be worth watching out for. Not much of a prediction to be honest as it was always going to be a great album and at last it's here.

  From Nova Scotia and featuring members of the Booji Boys, The Mark Vodka Group should be your new favourite band, they're that good. Equally good are Drunken Sailor Records who have released the album. Head honcho Juice has a pretty damn awesome taste in music and when he gives a band his seal of approval you pay attention.

  There's 14 tracks on the album and they're catchy as fuck, off kilter masterpieces. This is proper pop music and not the crappy soulless stuff they force feed us on the radio. They might be a little lo-fi, they may be a little spiky, they'll certainly be a little bit 'faster and louder' but they're pop songs nonetheless. It's a definite companion piece to the Dark Thoughts album that came out a couple of months back (a little more Buzzcocks or even maybe Only Ones influenced than Ramones but the same infectious scuffed up pop attitude is present). File under "would have been massive back in '78."

  You can get the album on vinyl (black or gold) or digital :   https://drunkensailorrecords.bandcamp.com/album/st-lp-12

  There'll be another winner from Drunken Sailor tomorrow.

  This song is just one of many highlights (though it's not the song they've chose to put out a video for, that one is here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry-UrnZl7hk),  it whizzes by with barely a pause for breath and it's called Shadow Of Your Former Self...

the Mark Vodka Group - Everybody's Punk Now

 

   BUZZCOCKS!!!  Hopefully that's written big and bright enough to attract the attention of those people who might come across this update but would possibly scroll past it as they haven't got a clue who the Mark Vodka Group are and anyway, they only listen to music from punk's golden era.

  So who are the Mark Vodka Group? They're from Halifax, Nova Scotia and feature members of the highly rated Booji Boys (if you've somehow missed them catch up now : https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2017/12/booji-boys-sister.html), Alienation, Washing Machine, Blood Beach, Negative Rage, Genetic Angry, Crossed Wires, Vulva Culture to name but a few.

  They released their Debut ep last year on Big Dunce Records and it's available on Bandcamp as a name your price download. It's now been joined on there by 3 more name your price songs, these are an early taste of an upcoming album titled Marks Blues and if they're any indication, the album's definitely worth watching out for. Don't take my word for it, check them out yourself :   https://markvodka.bandcamp.com/ 

  All 3 songs are great. Catchy, quirky, modern day diy punk. I chose to highlight the song you'll find below as it's a mega cool track that not only sounds great in it's own right but also riffs on a Buzzcocks classic (hench my attention grabbing start to this write up). I even defaced the label of the Buzzcocks song and sandwiched it between the Mark Vodka Group's lyrics in a (probably pretty naff) poster ad for Sunday's Just Some Punk Songs show (the poster is supposed to scream out "Just Some Punk Songs tips it's hat to punk's golden age but pretty much ignores it in favour of bringing to your attention some of the great music that is being made now!"). In reality though, anyone who actually sees it won't get any of that but hopefully a few might listen to the show :  https://www.facebook.com/events/1339819089488400/

  If you've waded through my self indulgent waffle, here's the good bit :  This is titled Everybody's Punk Now....

everything is different now that they've seen the light 
follow the leader down 
it's quite the sight i'm not sure quite 
if all of this is allowed 
if everybody looks the same and acts the same 
then how are we supposed to 
even know their name 
i barely know mine 

everybody is punk now where did the time go 
just look around, it's a better place then before 

everybody's goin to a show 

denim dreams and neon greens whatever it takes 
to find the look 
i've seen better pretenders down in hilden park 
or maybe even truro 
i don't care where they live they don't exist 
as far as i can tell 
just memories, i can't believe 
i let them get that close 

everybody is punk now they've all seen the sign 
where were you when i was getting my assed kicked in grade 9 

everybody's goin to a show