Marko Bruiser – “Black & Blue Volume 2”
Marko Bruiser created my favorite release of last year “From Another Time” and for some reason that I can’t figure out, he is one of my favorite recording artists.
But now, I’m thinking, an occupation I most strictly avoid- Well, you know, that might have something to do with it!
Also, I’m thinking how emotionally open he expresses himself with a music that is lively and jubilant but lyrically, fraught with uneasiness and despair.
And maybe, though I’m generally a happy little fellow, there’s a part of me that he reflects succinctly.
An artist naturally draws upon all that has influenced him in life. Maybe it’s music they first heard their parents play, maybe music they first liked on the radio. And also, what was happening and vital as they were first becoming a young adult.
In Marco’s musical style I hear punk but I also hear a bit of alternative and classic rock. But whatever musical genre his music touches upon, the honesty, the realness and the integrity of it spells out pure punk to me.
And I believe we’re drawn toward certain artists because they express the feelings and ideas that most reflect ourselves. And if this is true, I feel a bit sorry for Marko. Because it implies that he has, or is, traveling down some of the treacherous roads I traveled earlier in life, barely making it out alive.
But the music he’s created, I feel is worth the struggle and is more than worth your time in checking it out:
“Be Alright” appears to be about his battle with drinking. A battle a lot of us fight, a battle I’ve been fighting and losing sometimes, but now, one that he’s won and will hopefully continue to be undefeated. The music is energetic, chugging along with a Ramones like pulse while a moody, alternative vibe hangs in the vocals and a harmonic, classic guitar lick glides smoothly on top of it. A prefect example of Marko’s recipe for his favorite musical drink. “What am I gonna do with myself? …Maybe, I should get some help? So everything will be alright.” This is a passionate, desperate, invigorating, honest tune that may foresee a happy ending in real life.
“R.B.O.” bursts out at breakneck speed with lyrics that express the aftermath of a night of heavy drinking. “I don’t know how I got here… And when I woke up this morning my head was on fire.” And though I am, unfortunately, quite accustomed to the situations expressed in this song. I am aurally replenished with this- pour to the brim, intoxicating music. Yeah, strike out that last pompous line- Let’s just say this song is fucking awesome!
Starting with a great, melodic guitar lick, “Get Me Out Of Here” revs up in a propulsive, pulsing beat that takes the best parts of the Buzzcocks, Nirvana and The Queers creating a prefect mix of melody, angst and energy. “Just get me out of here,” sounds like someone who can’t wait to exit but when a song is so emotionally powerful and potent as this one, it just makes me want to stay put within it.
I strongly suspect that “The Only One” was written about his wife. “You’re the only one that can deal with my shit. You’re the only girl I can call a bitch. You’re the only one who sees the real me.” And this is no sappy ballad but a really, heartfelt intense saga with a wall of sound of music in a Velvet Underground sort of way, all played against a swinging waltz beat. “When I first took you out on our first date. Never thought it would turn out this great. But you stuck around, and in fact, my heart belongs to you.” This EP and it’s ending, turns out as great as that first date.
So perhaps, his music inspires within me the joy I’ve experienced in life along with all the disenchantments, the sorrows and the broken dreams.
And also, the victories fought hard with a passion, the hopes that spring forth with a new day, a new outlook. Like a belief that you can change your life and you can change yourself, or at least come to a better, more positive understanding of life and more importantly- you.
A belief that all that is wrong with life is outside of you and all that is good can emanate from inside you towards others.
This recording- Yeah, it’s outside of me but I feel very good when it enters into not just my ears, but my heart and my soul. For me it reassures me that all that is good in life is good within me.
And life may be wrong and tough and hard at times.
But the spirit of this release, within this artist- is perfect.
(Slimedog)
