Review by Saranne Murray
Freshly anointed as “The greatest rock n roll band in Dublin” by influential UK magazine Artrocker, The Minutes are finally starting to get the recognition that they deserve and with their long awaited debut album Marcata taking the industry by storm the Dublin trio are destined for great things. Debut album Marcata comes on the back of a string of excellent singles, all of which marked the three piece out as one of the year’s most notable bands to keep an eye on.
The album takes its name from the upstate New York recording studio where the band nailed the recording of the entire album in a five day marathon session under the watchful eye of Kevin McMahon. Marcata certainly cements their status as one of the most exciting sounding bands on the domestic scene at the moment, packing 12 tracks into a speedy 34 minutes the album certainly brings the listener on a journey. The band’s new label Modern Citizen on which the album has been released on has enabled them to add a few tweaks to the original recordings most noticeably the addition of some brass and piano.
However even with these new additions the album stays true to their sound and merely enhances the experience, most noticeably on the re-worked Black keys, originally released back in 2009 it gets a new lease of life and is one of the stand out tracks on the album. It has been released as the first single from the album and it’s clear to see why. Its rocking energy and catchy riffs are too irresistible not to like and it’s sure to become a fan favourite
The live favourite secret history brings a powerful energy that fits perfectly with the all go all power feel of the album. Fleetwood is more akin to the bands’ earlier sound, lines you can’t help but sing along to, rocking guitar, and even a harmonica solo, definitely one to watch out for. Polished melodies that are cloaked in scuzzy garage rock songs prevail throughout the whole album. From their signature sounding tunes Believer to the Oasis-esque Heartbreaker. Within this remit, they saunter around like they own the place, even ending on an instrumental jam that begs to be played live. There are flashes of brilliance throughout that suggest their next album will be the one to put them on the international stage. Its well deserved, they’ve come a long way from the days of playing in garages to twenty or so fans. The Minutes have taken their time in getting here and it was worth every second. Thankfully if anyone knows that patience is a virtue, its The Minutes.