the MARBLES reviews: of debut CD : "ROCK'S NOT DEAD."

ONLINE REVIEWS: CRINGE ISSUE 10.2

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NOW WAVE MAGAZINE  - Aug. 99

"The Marbles are perhaps the first truly great 80's style pop band to come out of the late 90's American underground. ...Marbles songs belong on mixed tapes next to Berlin. Nena, Missing Persons, and The Go Go's (as opposed to Big Star, Cheap Trick, and Badfinger). But while most 70's style pop bands sound mereley adequate when measured against the real thing, The Marbles absolutely blow away most of the new wave icons that surely inspired them. I was cruising the other night listening to an "an all 80's weekend " on the radio, but I kept popping in my Marbles tape in lieu of those radio classics. The band's 7-song CD, Rock's Not Dead. offers up three drop-dead gorgeous pop songs ("Reputation", "Slipping Away", and "Do You Know"), and the other four aren't too bad either! Marbles' singer, Manda, has a rich, emotionally- charged , classic new wave voice ( a la Nina Hagen and Lena Lovich: Gwen Stefani has that kind of voice too, but her band isn't half as good as The Marbles!) and songwriting talents worthy of the highest praise. Ultimately, the factor that separates a "retro " band from a vital band is the quality of the songs. The Marbles are an improvement on new wave pop, circa 1982! "Back in the day," you were lucky to hear two decent songs per album! On one CD, The Marbles give you seven songs that could have been hit singles 17 years ago! " - Now Wave Magazine

MUTANT POP : Aug 99 "...Excellent, of course, power pop, of course. Well recorded hit stuf featuring a honey-throated female lead vocalist. Terrific!"

Punk Planet - august 99

" In the  middle of cow country ther lives a little label called Break Up! Records that is going unnoticed. ... this label has been putting out a series of great little rock and roll singles. This being the first CD I have received, it doesn't disappoint. This time we get sweet female pop ( not pop-punk)....I love it...." - Punk Planet

SPANK MAGAZINE - SEPTEMBER 99

" These seven songs are sweet and to the point pop... The press kit calls them something akin to the Vapors if they were fronted by Go Gos era Belinda Carlisle and that's not too far from the mark. Solid tunes that will keep you happy if you are a fan of either Discount or Tilt (thought the song "Reputation" made me think of Tommy James and the Shondelles  more than once).  - SPANK

maximum rock n' roll - august 99

"... this slab kicks. Never mind the GO GOs this band is very much entrenched in the first Holly and the Italians LP. They've got a forceful yet poppy-voiced gal ( who has to be the reincarnation of Holly Beth Vincent), a tempo that never goes above mid( thus proving that they are pop purists...) and some killer tunes that approaches the GO GOs or even Nasty Facts in achieving pure pop bliss. This stuff has a certain retro-like innocent pop quality that is totally unforced. They had no problem making me beleive I was listening to something like Holly and the Italians or Stiff Little Fingers records for the first time way back when. A record brimming full of great hooks and tunes. A great quasi-girl group tune in "Slipping Away", I could go on and on... "( JY) - Maximum Rock and Roll.

The Columbus Dispatch - July 22, 1999

"Ever since Kurt Cobain killed himself, rock critics have been bemoaning the state of music, noting that boy bands, rappers,  and country stars are more likely than rockers to top the charts.  Columbus' the Marbles hope to put a dent in that mindset with their new cd on Break Up! Records, Rocks Not Dead. Railing against our image conscious world on the title track , singer and bassist declares, " They're  forgetting that the one thing that will move your soul is the sound of a guitar when it's rock n' roll." Throughout the album, Manda, Joe Mertz,  (guitar) , and Mark Slak (drums) play a post-punk rock that recalls the Go-Go's tougher songs. "  - Columbus Dispatch

Columbus ALIVE: July 22, 1999

The MARBLES are hell -bent on reviving the glory of the past. Their new disc is a little punky, a bit poppy, all with a heavy side of rock n' roll. The trio of guitar, drums, and bass dive into their seven tracks of old school  rock sensibility with total abandon. All the songs have a tinge of grittiness and an edge that is balanced by the familiar big pop chorus. It's forthright rock for the masses, with no ear nor desire for experimentation. But that;s the whole point. The Marbles have a knack for keeping it simple, which is evident by the opening crashes of "No Direction" to the end of the the driving title track that wraps up the album. The abundant power chords and straight -ahead rhythms hearken back to a time when rock was big. Rocks Not Dead is simple, and relatively free of pretentiousness. The back of the disc is decorated with recent quotes from print media publications that trumpet the death of rock. The Marbles would love to fix that.  - Adam Garratt - Columbus Alive

"...I could see this band quickly moving into the spotlight. As an unamed rockstar once murmured to a friend about his band, "Man, I think the kids could really fall in love with it." Chugging Blondie meets Eggplant standard big guitar plunking, stick-twirling guy-with-mouth-wide-open-drumming and...heartthrob girl vocals make for an easy sell. The key here is that unlike most dull as M*A*S*H pop-punk bands, The Marbles actually have songs, real, complete, songs with choruses and bridges... " - SHREDDING PAPER, FALL 1999

"This is bubblegum, very lightweight pop-punk. With both feet firmly planted in the early eighties new wave haze, The Marbles, fronted by the fetching voice of Manda Cookie, write inoffensive, simplistic, but reasonably catchy numbers with nice propulsive drumming. The best song is LOUISE which stands out because it features a counter melody...in addition to vocal tempo dynamics and some teeth " - the BIG TAKEOVER,  ISSUE 45