fakejazz.com

This CDR is a bootleg of a particularly noteworthy Magik Markers performance during their European tour earlier in 2005 where Elisa ended up battered and bloodied, as shown in these pictures. According to Elisa on the Magik Markers webpage, "The blood was real jerks, what are we Samhain? I WISH! Leah hit me in the head with her bass by accident." The CDR is a 25 minute audience recording of the full basement show, from warm up through a short interview at the end, but the audience is particularly "into it," so the sound is good. Elisa is in full-on rant mode, Miranda July'ing all over the place, acting both as a gonzo journalist describing how Europe is foreign to her and as a radical agenda checklist, wailing away at political targets like the WTO and Californication. The set starts slow, the guitarist plucking away at the same note and Nolan pounding out 4/4 time like Chinese water torture. When the guitar turns to formless, fuzzy noise, things pick up, Nolan quickly following suit with clusterbombs of snare. Magik Markers is about the least fucking tight band in the world, but somehow, whether through lowered expectations or kismet, when they finally congeal together into some sort of groove, it's powerful. After searching for a groove over the recording's first 20 minutes (and finding a couple), the beer-drenched energy of the audience encourages the trio to close with a cover of "Louie, Louie," which is utterly fucked beyond recognition. No notes are hit, it's just a big swirl of chords and frantic drumming while the audience (and Elisa) joyously sing the refrain. Either the most amazing or dumbest thing ever. I can't say which, cause I'm not sure myself. Unfortunately, the CDR isn't well distributed in the US, so if you want one, probably you'll have to talk to the Belgian who's making it at ekzeema AT hotmail.com.

Magik Markers at Amazon & Insound