Mary Jane Go Round – Play

Mary Jane Go Round – Play – EP Review

I dig the energy this record starts out with.  I also happen to love the video that comes along with it – Mary Jane Go Round has a whole team of puppets rocking out, in a Crank Yankers-esque visual style for their title-track, and of course I’d be into something like that!  Not a bad start by any means though.  If anything, I suppose I’d be the guy to tell you that the hooks of the verses are actually stronger than the ones you’ll hear in the chorus, but that’s all subjective…you might very well feel the opposite is true.  I’m just tellin’ ya how I’m hearing things from my perspective, and yeah…to me, there’s almost no contest – the verses come out practically flawless, whereas the chorus could probably be tightened up a little bit.  I’ve got a few suggestions on how they could go about making their music hit us with more a noticeable impact, but we’ll get to that as the review carries on.  For now, let’s focus on the fact that “Play” starts the album favorably, with a song that’s got some tangible gusto to it – it’s a solid beginning, and it also gives Mary Jane Go Round the opportunity to expand their sound from here, which they do indeed go on to do.  I might even tell you that “Play” is kind of the anomaly in the lineup if I’m being truthful with ya…it’s probably the most straightforward Rock song in the set, whereas the band will go on to reveal a wealth of more sonically diverse cuts as the EP continues on.  That being said, obviously if you’re looking for a Rock song, then “Play” is likely to be your favorite in the bunch…it really just depends on what you’re in the mood for I suppose, or what your personal taste tends to respond to the most.  I know for myself, I enjoyed “Play” on my initial spin through the EP, but it would be the tracks that came after it that ended up impressing me even more.  So when you think about it that way, sure, it’s nice to have an effective opening track that would instantly spark some interest like “Play” does, but it’s gotta be even nicer to know that the more the lineup continues to diversify and get creative, the results get stronger.  At the very least on an artistic level, in my opinion…”Play” might still have the edge in terms of universal accessibility & possessing the kind of energy listeners want to rock out with, but it’s the other four cuts in this set that seemed to show the dimensions & depth of what Mary Jane Go Round could go on to be, even more.

Lemme explain…and I’ll give you examples of what I’m getting at as best I can.  First of all, LISTEN to the slick beginning on “Slippin’” will ya?  The music is exceptional here…brilliantly unique stuff when it comes right down to it.  Emilio’s doing a solid job upfront on the lead and holding his own in my opinion, but even with that being the case, I’d just be continually conscious as to what the main features of any given song might be and do my best to highlight those the most.  As in, sure, he’s doing a decent job – but in a scenario like this, where the music is THIS noticeably innovative, inventive, imaginative, and all-out heckin’ spectacular to listen to, that’s what you’d want to find most directly in the center of the spotlight.  While there’s no doubt that Emilio is the centerpiece of the band itself, you still want to Play to the main strengths of what you create, and on “Slippin’,” that’s going to be the instrumentation, which is what you want the most ears on in this particular song.  Emilio’s got a very distinct voice & bold tones, so having that set lower in the mix will make the music surrounding him sound even bigger and also help get the musicianship its fair share of the spotlight and credit for what makes a track like this work.  Think of it this way – when a song succeeds, they succeed, together.  The less ego there is inside of any band, the more opportunities present themselves to highlight different aspects of what they do within their own sound.  Maybe there’s another song where Emilio is without a doubt the main star of the show, so you make that the focal point in that case.  Maybe the drums become a bigger component of another, so you shift things to highlight that element, so on and so on.  It’s about doing what’s right for the song itself & knowing that by doing that, you’ll get the best results out of your band, every time.  And don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that there IS any ego inside the band – I’ve talked briefly with Emilio behind the scenes, and I’m sure he’s surrounded by good people with great talent – a lot of the times, production-wise, we tend to not be as creative or try as many things as we should in order to get the best from the material.  Most of the time, bands and artists rely on the tried, tested, and true combination of having the vocals way up and the music set in the back supporting them…and when that works out, great – all I’m saying is that in an instance like “Slippin’” where you have music so engaging and unique, there’s no harm whatsoever in making that the most featured element that we hear in the mix.  I felt a little similar towards the opening track, but players like Hari still got their moment to shine in the lead guitar solos of “Play” individually, whereas EVERYONE involved on “Slippin’” deserves some recognition for creating a highly innovative song that stands out for all the right reasons in the music.  Whenever that’s the case, you want to find a way to highlight as much as you possibly can, and you can achieve that most effectively by lowering the vocals a bit to allow the music more opportunity to be heard on the surface.  All-in-all though, “Slippin’” sounds like a solid song with single-worthy potential.

Oddly enough, you’d probably find the sound of Emilio’s voice to be most comparable to Serj Tankian, despite System Of A Down having a vastly different style of music than what you’ll hear from this band.  Trust me, when you get a clear glimpse of his voice in the more minimal moments of the music, like the opening verse of “Walls Inside,” you’ll know what I mean – I bet this dude would rock a killer cover of something from S.O.A.D. if he felt so inclined.  Tankian himself doesn’t always seem like he’s a natural fit on a tonal level into every tune they’ve ever put out, but when it works for them, it REALLY works for them, you feel me?  I think the same can be said largely for what we hear in Mary Jane Go Round, and we’ve heard examples of that already in the verses of “Play” and on the main hooks of the chorus from “Slippin’” as well, where Emilio has really excelled.  I love the recording they’ve got on the guitars in the songs from this lineup – same thing, like when they’d slide outta the hooks into the instrumention on “Slippin’,” or in what you’ll hear as “Walls Inside” starts up…the clarity is outstanding and definitely enticing to listen to.  Overall, “Walls Inside” is arguably working with a much more complex design than what you’ve heard in the opening two tracks, and of course, whenever that’s the case, you end up challenging the ears of the average everyday music listener more than they’re often comfortable with.  It’s a trade-off you have to live with if you want to be free creatively to explore your sound & music, and believe me, I’d never tell you to cater to those out there that are simply looking for something merely verse/chorus/verse.  Having said that, there are ways of finding middle ground that works.  “Slippin’” for example, is a tremendously innovative tune, yet still completely listenable and engaging to the masses.  “Walls Inside” moves at a more mid-tempo pace, which is notoriously the kiss of death for just about any song when it comes to the court of public opinion, but it’s also missing that one really inspired spark that would bring most people back for another spin.  Ultimately, “Walls Inside” feels more like a very even experience, rather than a song that possesses those dynamic fireworks that demand our attention.  Ain’t nothing wrong with a well-played tune in my opinion, but they can still become a much harder sell.

The bass lines on “Matches” felt like a real standout element to me, and overall, I think I’d tell you that this could very well be one of the EP’s best tunes.  As to whether or not Mary Jane Go Round got the full potential out of it…I’m not 100% sure about that…but I do think they’ve got something strong here, and I’d fully recommend the band continues to explore what it could become.  I mean, I’d tell you that about most tunes, and not just the ones you’ll find on this record.  Emilio’s got solid ideas on how to go about harmonizing with his vocals, and as a result, you get some genuinely strong moments from the guy as he sings this tune.  It’s arguably one of his best performances on this EP, but again, to be clear, I also think that the material itself is among the strongest stuff they’ve got throughout the lineup of Play.  Don’t get it twisted – I’m not at all suggesting that they make a track like “Matches” the single – this is definitely what you’d consider to be the ‘deep cut’ in a lineup, but it’s often tracks like this that flex added depth that are the reasons you continue to come back and listen to a record over and over again.  “Matches” has one of my favorite guitar solos on this EP as it heads into its second minute, and I very much dig the fact that Mary Jane Go Round has always made time to highlight the instrumentation in their songs.  As it came back into a more aggressive melody & hook to fuel the second half of “Matches,” I probably felt a little less sure about this song personally, though I’d also tell you that Emilio’s vocals have significant highlights in that part that you don’t want to miss out on.  It’s the first half of this track that tends to be the more engaging piece to me personally, but I could see many of you out there looking forward to the second half and feeling like that’s the stronger part.  And maybe you’d be right, and I’d be wrong.  Maybe there is no right and wrong…maybe it’s just what resonates with us at the time we’re listening, and maybe that changes over time.  I kind of felt like I wanted a bit of the more intense bite the second half has in the first half…like the spot around fifty seconds in…that felt like it might have already been the right time to throw the switch and add in a more edgy moment of guitar to complement the vocals.  That might just be the way I’m hearing that spot…but yeah…again around the 1:40 mark, I’d feel the same way and want some of the aggression we get later on adding depth to the music in these earlier opportunities.  Instead, I’d understand if there are some listeners that felt like “Matches” takes a bit too much time to get into the main meat of the song…but from my perspective, the stronger parts of this tune are in that first half, and I didn’t quite feel like the second half warranted the intensity as much I guess…like I’d almost go as far as to say I’d have reversed the approach taken to both halves, if only just to see what it would have sounded like.  In any event though, “Matches” is one of the more involved songs you’ll find on this record, and it speaks pretty strongly on behalf of Mary Jane Go Round’s range.

Busting out the piano to lead the way in the melody of the final track called “Once More,” I think folks listening will appreciate the range of depth in this set of five songs.  Hooks-wise, I think what they’ve got in the chorus of “Once More” could definitely be among the most memorable moments you’ll hear on this record…and like, c’mon y’all…listening to the musicianship around the two minute mark of this track should be something we all look forward to every time we reach this song in the lineup again.  For the most part, I’m happy with what I hear in this cut…and ultimately there’s very little I’d change if anything at all.  Where I think Mary Jane Go Round can benefit the most is simply what you get from time and experience with the material itself…you wanna hear that confidence and passion in every moment, and I suppose I’d say at times you can hear a bit more fluctuation in that department than maybe they’d like to have come across through the speakers is all.  That can happen with any artist of band when new material is concerned…I think everyone knows that the more familiar you are with a song, the better it comes out, and that as you continue to play it throughout the years, you get more and more dialed into what it can truly become.  What’s happening on “Once More” is genuinely intriguing to me though, and I feel like we might have finally reached the spot on the record that reveals the real blueprint for the path forward from here.  All-in-all, I can hear the potential in Mary Jane Go Round…it’s a band that will definitely continue to improve with time, experience, and further refinement…but this foundation has strong bones to build with.  There’s real art and craft within a song like “Once More” – and I feel like the more they continue to explore that side of their sound, the better the results will continue to be.  I’ve got my moments here & there with how Emilio chooses to sing this final cut…in some spots, he shows us he absolutely thrives in his role at the center of the spotlight, and in others he’s right on the edge of what you’d call over-singing a couple lines here & there where the song might not need so much of a firm use of technique, rather than just have something more straight ahead and easy to digest.  Sometimes the simplest ingredients are the most effective, you know what I mean?  That being said, I like how Emilio & his cohorts push themselves to create something authentic & compelling with their last track on “Play,” and feel like they’ve come out with strong results.  My advice is always to follow the songs and where they take you…the transitions in “Once More” often reveal how much Mary Jane Go Round thrives in moments of flux, maybe even more-so than when they’re exploring one particular part or dimension of a song like the verses or choruses…it’s the spaces in between that seem to show us how this band could go on to really leave an impression on listeners out there.  Spectacular use of piano from Semir…I know I mentioned that already, but man does the inclusion of this instrument ever hit the mark on this very last track!  Play has plenty of quality ideas, and ultimately that’s the most important ingredient.  Without’em, there would be nothing to build around.  There’s definitely something brewing here in Mary Jane Go Round, and I highly suspect that the more music they continue to make, the more they’ll hammer out the kinks and go on to genuinely wow us in the future with ideas that aren’t typical, and a sound all of their own.

Find more music by Mary Jane Go Round at Spotify here:  https://open.spotify.com/artist/1t7QGTDNxJeX3qLzwMQXmA

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