March on Electric Children
March on Electric Children is the second studio album by the American post-hardcore band The Blood Brothers, released in February 2002. Produced by Matt Bayles, the album (which is described in the liner notes as a "short story set to music") was recorded in one week[3] on a $3000 budget[4] and has been described by singer Jordan Blilie as "crazier" and "more complex" than the band's previous effort, This Adultery Is Ripe.[5]
| March on Electric Children | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 25, 2002 | |||
| Genre | Post-hardcore | |||
| Length | 24:38 | |||
| Label | Three One G | |||
| Producer | Matt Bayles | |||
| The Blood Brothers chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Stylus Magazine | A- [2] |
Concept album
The album has been described by numerous critics as a concept album, with its characters portrayed more as villains and victims than as heroes. The effort was an attempt by the band to create a storyline with repeating characters that has a bleak outlook on life, emphasizing the consequences of the characters' selfish choices. A common motif utilized throughout the album is the ocean and sea creatures, which was a result of vocalist Johnny Whitney taking an oceanography class during the album's production.[6] The album marks additions to the band's songwriting tools. For example, "Kiss of the Octopus" samples "The Perfect Drug" by Nine Inch Nails,[7] and the piano acts as the sole instrument played on "American Vultures".[8] It is also the conclusion to the storyline and wraps up the themes featured in the previous songs. Says singer Jordan Blilie:
Basically what we had in mind was that we wanted to focus on what happens when a person lives a life devoid of any real meaning. These are people that lead a very empty superficial existence where motives are completely selfish and empty, and what happens as a result of that choice.
Characters
- Mr. Electric Ocean - "the personification of the media and exploitation and superficiality... the person that influences the protagonist during the entire record"
- The Skin Army - "a representation of our culture as completely superficial and concerned with the exterior, skin, and what is on the outside"
Track listing
All tracks are written by The Blood Brothers.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Birth Skin/Death Leather" | 1:43 |
| 2. | "Meet Me at the Water Front After the Social" | 2:46 |
| 3. | "March on Electric Children!" | 3:03 |
| 4. | "New York Slave" | 2:44 |
| 5. | "Kiss of the Octopus" | 2:39 |
| 6. | "Siamese Gun" | 3:21 |
| 7. | "Mr. Electric Ocean" | 2:16 |
| 8. | "Junkyard J. vs. the Skin Army Girlz/High Fives, LA Hives" | 2:57 |
| 9. | "American Vultures" | 3:27 |
Personnel
- The Blood Brothers
- Jordan Blilie - vocals
- Mark Gajadhar - drums
- Morgan Henderson - bass, sampler, M1
- Cody Votolato - guitar
- Johnny Whitney - vocals, piano
- Production and design
- Matt Bayles - producer, engineer, mixer
- The Blood Brothers - co-producer
- Troy T - assistant engineer
- Ed B - mastering
- Dan Dean - layout concept, design, photographs, art
- Morgan Henderson - layout concept, design, photographs, art
- Jeffrey Degolier - photographs, art
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog | Additional Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2002 | Three One G | CD | Three One G 21 | |
| LP | Pressed on black vinyl and clear with black splatters, the latter an edition of 500. A picture disc edition was also issued in quantities of 2500 copies. | ||||
| 2009 | Epitaph Records | CD | 87056-2 | ||
References
- n/a. "Leader of the Pack (Interview with the Blood Brothers)". bettawreckonize.com. BettaWreckonize. Archived from the original on 2007-10-27. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
- Robertshaw, Steven (2005-10-13). "The Blood Brothers: The Death of Hardcore". altpress.com. Alt Press. Archived from the original on 2008-04-16. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
- Lindsay, Cam (2003-09-01). "Interview: The Blood Brothers (Jordan Billie)". stylusmagazine.com. Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 2008-01-17. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
- Ozzi, Dan (2015-04-07). "Rank Your Records: The Blood Brothers' Jordan Blilie Rates the Band's Five Eccentric Albums". noisey.vice.com. Vice. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
- Ott, Chris (March 24, 2003). "The Blood Brothers: Burn Piano Island, Burn!". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 19, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
- Diver, Mike (2006-03-15). "ReDIScover: The Blood Brothers". drownedinsound.com/. Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2018-08-21.