Marcus Church

Marcus Church's newest EP, Minutiae, is up for a free download right now on Bandcamp. The record, recorded sporadically over the last year or so, features a much fuller sound then we're used to from this once-one-man act, and it's fused with perked-up pop sounds, the occasional driving riff and rare vocal harmony for good measure.
Despite its Internet origins, the record has a decidedly organic, pre-digital sound about it, thanks to the band's penchant for the music of outfits like Guided by Voices and R.E.M. But the sound is all its own.

The five tracks here range from the upbeat to the incredibly down; "The Glimmer Crown" sounds like Sunny Day Real Estate was looped throughout the recording process, while "Charter in a Circle" has more punkish origins. The lead track, "A Look Like Lightning," is easily the standout, with its characteristically poppy guitar lines and chorus. The song speeds along the entire two minutes, gazing straight ahead with an upbeat demeanor.

As a whole, the EP is a little scatterbrained, but since the moods of Marcus Church don't fluctuate much, it's not as jarring as it could be. The subdued nature of it consistently feels like the band is holding something back the whole time, teetering on that tipping point of explosion but never fully crossing over. Have a listen below.
-Thorin Klosowski - Westword