Indie Music Review: Anya Marina - Exercises in Racketeering
Published February 04, 2004
ANYA MARINA: "Exercises in Racketeering" EP
Like any great art, Exercises in Racketeering is deliciously hydra-headed. Each track on this singer-songwriter's release is grand coffee-joint fare: angelic overtones, jangly guitars, well-crafted lyrics of love, loss and love-again...
And luscious harmonies!
Still, dripping from the candy-covered underbelly of the songs, Marina's lyrics raise eyebrows. Make the cocktail glasses clink--are the stuff of dank, dark dive bars. Case in point: "I hope you die a fiery death/I love you/God, I need you..." ("Clean and Sober").
Dammit, bartender, it's both at once, ain't it? Yes, another refill, and be quick about it for Pete's sake!
Produced with Scott Russo (Unwritten Law) and recorded in San Diego, Marina's prelude to her upcoming long-player ("Miss Halfway") makes you root for all the girls in these mini-films. "I can't keep up with the lovers on the street," Marina confides in us ("Come Back to Bed"). Still, you can't keep a good girl down. "You're gonna feel a little sting/a little like a Prick!" she chirps in "Lovesick."
"Rommy's Pants," placed dainty as a chocolate in the middle of the mix, adds a dash of absurdity.... Then, we're dashed back through beauty and betrayal, hums, oohs, aahs and la's. It's haunting and heartening, all at once.
Frankly, we think Anya's channeling two Beatles at once--John, and Paul. "I'm gonna burn a pie now and then..." she sings in "Miss Halfway," adding, "I'm gonna burn and shine and multiply."
Whether you're a musician, music lover, or grrl-rock / indie-rock fan, you'll find your candy in Anya's passion-filled EP. You can't help but to fall in love with, and alongside her.
Each radio-ready cut makes its way into your spirit, soft and bittersweet, like a highschool crush (in other words, "hard.") You'll find yourself singing along to these tunes. And achingly eager to listen to each one anew, like she's singing each story to you, and only you, for the first time.
Yes, more, Anya, please? More.
reviewer: jianda johnson
Originally published at SugarMamaPR.com
- Indie Music Review: Anya Marina - Exercises in Racketeering
- Published: February 04, 2004
- Type:
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Indie Rock, Music: Folk, Music: Alternative Rock, Music: Pop
- Writer: Jianda Johnson
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hi i am a song writer and my friend said that she could almost hear you already singing one of my songs. i was just wondering if you could email me back for the some information that you may have for me because i would really like people to start singing some of my songs.
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Hello, my name is Andrew and I am writing this on behalf of my band, Anchors for Reality. I am wondering what it would take to have you do a review of our band. We need to collect as many reviews as possible for our press kit. If you could, in any way, help us, it would be stupendous.
Thank you for your time, Andrew/ Anchors for Reality