Mardo – Mardo

Mardull

Mardo is a band that likes to have fun. While other bands now-a-days are trying hard to mimic that characteristic 1970’s style garage rock sound, Mardo are that sound. Indeed, brothers Aron and Robbie Mardo embody the 1970’s – in style, sound and attitude. But like the 70’s, Mardo’s self titled release fluctuates between the good, catchy and most of all fun rock style, to the muddy, mundane and completely forgettable.Mardo start off the album in true 1970’s style; a cocaine induced thrill ride of a song in “Anyone But Me” that is sure to be an instant crowd pleaser with its shout out loud lyrics like “Yeah! Oh yeah!” But the ‘high’ is quickly short-lived as the rest of the album slowly drifts off into 1970’s musical oblivion. The same ‘shoot-to-thrill’ attitude comes out a little too diluted as the band never really recreates that same energy. Choppy guitar riffs blended with some lackluster effects don’t quite hit as hard in “Big Mouth Shotgun” neither does their somewhat bland cover of Huey Lewis’ “I Want A New Drug.” What follows afterwards are songs that might as well be heard from any uninspiring 70’s bar band across the country.

Not that the effort is total miss. Indeed, there’s enough kickin’ energy within each song to keep the die hard fans happy, but it seems for the rest of us, there’s only the first song.