The Mars McClanes
The Liar
Portland based “The Mars McClanes” is one of the more interesting Americana bands we’ve encountered. We detect whiffs of Gin Blossoms, then Shooter Jennings, then Dada, then Toad the Wet Sprocket, then that killer garage punk band down the street. Rumor has it they began by playing the clubs around Texas over 20 years ago, which explains the complexity of their sound and the depth to their arrangements and compositions. Who knows how they ended up in the PNW, but we love the sound they have. Here’s a review of their recent release, The Liar.
After a dirty Gretsch like riff, we’re off and running around 119 bpm with a D-drop, four on the floor feel and full attack on the snare with a train beat. Melody comes in on the 3rd, a good octave above the accompaniment and the mix does a great job of keeping everything in place. Not too much compression - not too much dirt on the guitar - it’s wide open and loose, keeping the attention on the vocals as he sings about his grandmother getting signed by The Yankees. Seriously. There’s a lot that draws us in and keeps us interested so far - and then they hit the major 3 to go into the chorus - awesome choice. This is where the Dada and Jellyfish vibes start to swirl around in our head.
We often describe song structure as being similar to a house. The intro is the yard or the front porch. First verse is a hallway or an immediate room. The chorus should be a separate room - doesn’t have to be big if the house doesn’t need it - but it should definitely stand out. This is a textbook example of that - the chord choices here are beautiful. The chorus blows wide open - we feel like we’re in the biggest room of the house. Absolutely f’ing great chorus. Just about everything changes (or at least it feels that way), aside from the four on the floor, and the standout has to be the change in vocal tones. No idea if they have dual lead singers (it sounds like), but whatever they did here works in spades. The back end of the chorus hits that 5 of 5 which is such a great way to wrap up the section and make it memorable. Second verse is just a bit edgier that the first - but not so much that it doesn’t leave room for a bigger bridge (which is coming). Note how tough that is to do from a production standpoint when the band is running at full clip. Lastly, also have to commend them for their quick transitions between the sections. At this speed (and as sonically thick as it is), it would be easy to insert a riff or two or stretch something out but they make the right choice is moving quickly between them. There’s a lot of maturity in that composition thought process.
With the bridge, that extra push we are looking for comes from the lead vocals as he hits his upper register. Then we get a nice guitar solo that keeps everything on the plane and moving steadily. Great tonal choice here in the amp and guitar. Also love the fact that they didn’t push it all the way to the front - it really sits well in the mix. After another chorus, we’re back into another solo - this one a bit more jaded - and a series of hits on the major three to end it (along with a funny line). Wow. Great track. This is why we love to write this blog - it’s finding bands and tracks like this.
Do yourself a favor and check out their other tracks. Riddle, recorded here in Nashville has a little Latin feel, and then it turns into this Jellyfish meets a country band chorus. Wickedly smart. Broke Kid starts as a charming mid-tempo ballad that busts out into a 90’s era acoustic jam that could have been written in Boulder or Santa Barbara. Day is Done is probably the poppiest of these tracks - mainly because of the drum tracks. It’s a bit of a departure from the others we’ve listed here - but they all are - and they all have great stories and hooks. And then there’s Wherever You Go, part beach rock, part garage band, 100% fun.
It’s pretty obvious that this is a band that’s very comfortable in their own skin, a band that’s found a solid foundation. It would be great to see them live - I’m sure they’ve got a killer fan base in the PNW. Can’t wait to see what they do next!