Odd, catchy Barkmarket dares to be loud and manic

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by Marc Hirsh

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This band has attempted something daring. Barkmarket has put together a bunch of good songs, gone into the studio, banged them out in a couple of days and actually created a work of merit. Instead of culling together throwaways that would otherwise have festered in the vaults, they deliver what an EP should be: a short album.

Clocking in at just over 15 minutes, Lardroom has just as much substance as most full-lengthers. These days, too many bands think that if a CD can hold 70 minutes of music, then by God, it shall have 70 minutes of music. This disk is a nice change of pace because it comes out fighting and goes out swinging and doesn't let up for a second.

Singer/guitarist/songwriter/producer David Sardy is a busy guy, but it's all worth it in the end. His full-throated singing and angular guitar playing set the stage for some odd but catchy tunes. The opener, "I Drown," is slightly reminiscent of Soundgarden, if the latter kicked back on the distortion and just let the songs' mania take over. Volume is not the only requisite for heaviness.

Not that Barkmarket fears being loud. "Johnny Shiv" and "Little White Dove" both lay on the heavy distortion and come out just fine. The difference here, though, is that the whole band helps out. Instead of merely helping Sardy pound out power chords (something he doesn't seem to know how or want to do, anyway), bassist John Nowlin and drummer Rock Savage take advantage of the space they are allowed. Thus they make the whole band sound heavy.

Nowlin's bass takes over sometimes.

The tunes "Shiv" and "Dove" both rest on his parts; Sardy's guitar becomes a piece of the album, rather than the main attraction. Savage's drums keep up with the odd, stop-start time signatures and go one better, leading the songs when it might be easier to just follow.

The result is extraordinary: evidence of a tight, hard-working band and oblique songs that stick with you. Lardroom offers proof that heaviness isn't measured only in decibels, and, more importantly, a hint that restraint and taste are making a comeback. Barkmarket could be the beginning of a new trend. But I doubt we'd be that lucky.

This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the April 7, 1995 issue.

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