Marvel Mike – V
Marvel Mike – V – EP Review
Mannnnnnnnnnn…if y’all knew how much I hummed and hawed about putting Marvel Mike’s May The 4th Be With You EP on our top ten list back in 2021, you’d be as shocked as I am that it’s taken this long to get to his new record V. No joke…I remember agonizing over that year’s list, and if I could have made it expand to a top eleven, he’d have been on it in a heartbeat. Alas, hard decisions need to be made around here every so often, and I usually look back on any list I’ve made with some kind of regrets. This homie from Canada is an exceptional talent, and was in the running all year long for our accolades back in 2021. I suppose the real question now is, is he still that good? Let’s see what’s going on with his V EP.
Do I have slight concerns when pushing play? You betcha. Did Marvel Mike go Reggae? I’m not the only one with a bit of trepidation though…pro-tip…you can always tell when you’re checking things out at Bandcamp, and it’s set to start playing with a different track than the first one. I get it though – if you were to start things up with “Dub To Speed” you’d probably end up with a different impression of what the guy is all about. It’s like his own mixtape of sorts…pieces from the past catalogue…set to a Reggae-style beat & peppy vibe…I mean…I ain’t completely hatin’ on it, but Reggae-anything usually ain’t my jam, and I’d be lying to you by omission if I didn’t say the real highlights of “Dub To Speed” were like, everything that comes in between the music that features him rapping. That’s what we’re here for MM! Where this opener becomes genuinely problematic is with the Reggae infusion, in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong, like I already told ya, it’s not my favorite genre, but objectively speaking, the core beat in this track comes out sounding like a preset on an old Casio keyboard…and I just don’t think that’s the best way to go about representing Marvel Mike’s sound. It takes a bit for the variation to kick in, and I don’t mind that…there are some elements in the music surrounding the main beat that are genuinely pretty cool…but overall, I feel like “Dub To Speed” was a bit perplexing. I think I might have been inclined to go with this cut as the final track if I was gonna include it at all, but I’m still on the fence about whether it was a good idea to put this on the V EP. Even the selected pieces from his catalog don’t exactly feel like a seamless fit in the context of the entire track…it’s like you get a snippet of something real damn good, then back to the beat and you’re like, ‘oh okay, we’re doin’ that again’ but then over and over and over.
So…like the man himself, I’m gonna consider “Worth The Wait” the real track one. “It ain’t a sprint, it’s a marathon,” as he says in explaining where he’s been on “Worth The Wait” – and I can accept that a lil’ bit. Don’t get it twisted, it’s easy for me to accept Marvel Mike taking his time, because I don’t have a tenth of his talent. If I did, I’d probably never stop making music…but maybe that’s just me. As I’d tell ya myself, quality can take time, and we’re all on different schedules…the realities of independent artists is that, usually, no matter how damn good or great they might be, they’re living lives outside of the studio that demand a ton of attention and what little time they have beyond work and family life. I ain’t heartless y’all…I get it, I get it. But like most folks will tell ya, there’s always time to be found somewhere, and even Marvel Mike himself will cop to that fact as he admits “maybe I would if I just put down the phone more.” It’s not always easy…like I said, I get it. I’m here doin’ what I do around the clock & I STILL can’t find enough time to get half of what I’d wanna do accomplished, and I don’t have half the responsibilities that most folks have. Anyhow. Is this track “Worth The Wait” of four years? It is honestly tough to say…but I suppose the answer is implied in merely having to consider it. It’s a good start and MM flexes his verbal agility as strong as ever, but at the same time, I do feel like he’s holding back a little bit on the V EP. Vocally, the dude’s solid…lyrically, he’s capable…music-wise, it’s a bit thin.
Then things start to strengthen. “This Game” has the man in action, locked into gear sounding confident and in full control – I’m into it. MM’s got a very true-to-the-style approach to Hip-Hop, and he’s one of those perfect examples to point to when you’re looking to explain the difference between Hip-Hop and Rap. There’s never any doubt about which side of the fence Marvel Mike is on – this is a Hip-Hop artist without question, from the beat on up to his lyricism & vocals. Where I’m a bit on the fence is that I’m still unsure about whether the music he’s rapping to is strong enough…it’s sufficient, but I don’t know if being sufficient would be the goal, you feel me? It’s alright…and with “This Game” being the most undeniably vibrant and lively cut on the EP so far, believe me, I’m ain’t tryin’ to lob complaints just for something to do…I just wanna hear music that’s built to support, or rival, the man’s microphone skills is all. I dig that “This Game” does come with a bit more tangible intensity to it…I can hear it somewhat in the music even though I’d still say I want more, but it’s definitely there in what MM brings to the mic. “This Game” feels like focused writing and dynamic performance combined, and of course, that’s the Marvel Mike we know and love – this cut is so much closer to the high standards he’s set and a better representation of what he’s capable of.
“Now & Then” sounds like what I’m really here for. To be completely fair to Marvel Mike, I feel like the V EP has gotten stronger with every single track we’ve heard on it. By the time I got to “Now & Then” in listening to this record earlier this week, I was 100% convinced this would be THE track from the record, and that anything else that would come after couldn’t surpass the excellence you’re hearing on this cut. In any event, a lot of artists will defend their choice to not make the first track the first song you’ll hear in the realm of Bandcamp, but if it’s a matter of creating the right gateway in, or using the most single-worthy cut to entice people into listening, then Marvel Mike would be selecting “Now & Then,” even if it’s the fourth track in the lineup. This is the man at his most universal without a doubt. Musically, I still kinda feel how I feel, but I really do dig the vibe on this cut. I like that he leans hard into the nostalgic aspect of his lyricism on “Now & Then” too…it’s a fairly classic theme you find in a lot of Hip-Hop music, but I’m not here expecting Marvel Mike to recreate the wheel…I’m happy to hear the man play to his strengths. I don’t love the choice in the main sound of the melody…it comes with a bit of natural distortion to it, and chances are people are just gonna confuse that for a bit of a wack mix if they don’t understand that’s just how that organ-style sound is set. Regardless, whether the sound selection he’s chosen hits the mark with the people or not, I think “Now & Then” will still resonate with listeners. It’s the best of what you’re gonna find on this record, and shows Marvel Mike at his most universal overall.
As the final cut “Globetrotter” started to roll, I knew I was right about the peak of the V EP being the track before it. That’s not me necessarily saying I’m unsatisfied with “Globetrotter” so much as I’m simply calling it like it is – “Now & Then” is a superior song, that’s all. I do like what I’m hearing on “Globetrotter” and all the geographical references he’s got goin’ on…I mean, hell, I feel like I’ve even learned a thing or two about the map and places I might like to visit one day based on listening to his words. Do I think that “Globetrotter,” or the V EP at-large, represents the best we’ve heard from MM to-date? I don’t think I’m quite there…I think we’d be having a different conversation this time around than the one we were talkin’ about from the get-go with all he achieved on May The 4th Be With You. I will say this…there might be an argument to be made that “Globetrotter” is the most complete and balanced track you’ll find on the record…it’s a bit less dynamic as a result, but there’s noticeable focus being applied to the writing here and it all feels like it hit the target. Thematically, it’s interesting. I don’t know that the whole travel thing is gonna necessarily appeal to everyone, but I’m not opposed to it. Where Marvel Mike might be missing an ingredient or two is in making this track the ending for the V EP…I didn’t feel that conclusiveness you wanna hear at the end of a record, and it felt like there should be another track or two after “Globetrotter,” especially when you consider the fact that it kinda took until the midway point on this EP for it to really start movin’ in the right direction. Look…I’m THAT dude, and I always have been…I challenge artists to be at their best, and I call things like I hear’em when I don’t feel like they’re quite hitting the standards they’ve set themselves, based on what they’ve shown us in their own material in the past. MM’s ability is still there, and you’ll hear some glimmers of the greatness we know he’s capable of throughout this set-list…but I feel like those that have truly heard what he can do know he’s got more in the tank than he reveals in this lineup, and that he’s settled a bit instead of staying hungry for the m-i-c. So hell yeah…I have no problem telling the man I want more out of him, and I’d only hope he’d feel the exact same way when it comes right down to it. Taking time off is one thing, but when you make the comeback, you wanna hear that fire, that purpose, and the intention in every syllable. Lying to the guy would be doing him a disservice & I ain’t about that. The V EP is good enough to warrant a listen or two, but I truly wanna hear that real reason to return from him, and for us.
Find out more about Marvel Mike from his official page at Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marvelmikemusic
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