John 'Speedo' Reis has a new band, The Night Marchers, and they have a new record, See You In Magic. I was pretty certain I'd like it. After all, this man gave us Drive Like Jehu, Rocket From The Crypt and Hot Snakes. This new band features 3/4 of Hot Snakes, and I'm in the minority of people who thought they were the best band he was ever in. But my record budget is very small and I've already spent a little this month so I figured I'd just download it. After all, it might not be brilliant, maybe it's just solid. Definitely not going to be as good as Suicide Invoice, surely.
This might actually be the best record he's ever done. I saw an interview where he said he was tired of separating off his different approaches into different projects as he had when Hot Snakes and RFTC were still active, and it seems he's succeeded. More straight-up than Hot Snakes but not as deliberately retro as RFTC, this feels like it's reaching back into rock and roll instead of trying to replicate its earlier forms. There's a post-hardcore feel but like Hot Snakes it isn't as dry as I felt Drive Like Jehu could sometimes be. It has swagger, it sounds like a brilliant film about bars, late nights and regrets. Songs like Jump In The Fire and And I Keep Holding On sound epic and timeless, like I've been listening to them for years.
Basically, The Night Marchers are making a convincing argument that they're the best rock band on the face of the planet right now.
