Music Review // The Dirty Beat "Mark"

 

As soon as the song "Mark" begins, there is this gritty, dirty sort of acoustic rock sound that mixes with an almost metal feel.  I'm reminded of someone such as Monster Magnet right away, but then these horns come in and give it that feeling of a song from a film such as "Nacho Libre".   They just have that feeling of triumph.  The acoustics combine with chaos for a cross between Days Of The New and the film "Desperado", but also there is a bit of Cake in here as well.

"Mark" is definitely the type of song that can bring you in just with its sound, but the lyrics will also give you something to talk about.   The use of the word "Mark" in this song varies and at one point it even says "I mark 'em down as friends".   One of the first times we hear the word though it is used in the lyric: "You're a mark upon your friends".  I like this idea because there always seems to be that one friend in the friend group.

Though it hasn't been used as often in modern times, the term "Mark" can be traced back to the days of traveling carnivals where they find what they indicate is the mark and try to sucker money out of him.  When you think of the word in that type of way, as maybe this person is gullible and just easily fooled, it does give another level of meaning to the song.  It just feels like it's about that one friend who is always the push over.

While this song is going to make you feel a lot of things all at once musically, once you have processed that you're going to want to think about the lyrics and what they mean.  They seem to be a story of friendship, but also it seems to be friendship gone wrong because of the lyrics: "What is a friend but a future foe?"   So maybe if you have that friend in your group (or it is you) who feels like they're always being pushed around and taking advantage of, perhaps it's time to speak up before you become foes.