April 21, 2009

Album review: Magik Markers

Balf Quarry

7 / 10 MM could once be found exploring a kaleidoscope of hippy meandering that bore resemblance to the colourful interiors of their own excretory tracts. ‘Balf Quarry’, however, sees Elisa Ambrogio and Pete Nolan emerging blinking into the sunlight as they continue to excavate the more focussed sounds of last album ‘Boss’. ‘Risperdal’ and ‘Jerks’ are pure and throaty no wave blues, whereas ‘The Lighter Side of… Hippies’ blasts in over the doodles of ‘The Ricercar Of Dr Clara Haber’, like encountering Sonic Youth making a desperate dash to use the facilities. But ‘Balf Quarry’’s end product, ‘Shells’, is the most interesting thing here; 10 minutes of drones, fiddle and a haunted attic-wandering vocal from Ambrogio. It surely points to rich seams still to be discovered.

Luke Turner

More on this artist:
Magik Markers NME Artist Page
Drag City's Magik Markers page