The Marked Men- Ghosts (2009)

Recommended if you like: Buzzcocks, The Thermals, Mind Spiders, Teenage Cool Kids, Dillinger Four, Jay Reatard

I've probably listened to this album more than anything else the past few months. Fucking fantastic punk from Texas that's equally snotty and melodic. Apologies if my comparisons are a little off base, my punk collection is still small (though it's growing rapidly). But fans of any garage-y punk will dig the shit out of this. Its not as fast as hardcore, but the songs still have so much movement. What really impresses me about The Marked Men is how they can write such catchy stuff without really relying on melodic lead guitars. Most of it is just power chord riffing, it really finds its strength in the lyrics and vocals of guitarist/vocalists Mark Ryan and Jeff Burke. I can't recommend this one enough. Click the album artwork to sample.

1. All In Your Head
2. Ditch
3. Fortune
4. My Love
5. I Must Be Dead
6. Head Set
7. Locked Up
8. Not That Kid
9. Stay Away
10. Get To You
11. Ghosts
12. Shaky Ground
13. Red Light Rumors
14. One More Time
15. Blew My Head

Buy Ghosts from Dirtnap Records