Despite its rustic setting, it is a contentious, urban vibe emanating from Marcata, perhaps reflecting McMahon’s many years as a New York City music dude, working with the influential band the Walkmen in a large industrial facility in Harlem, also called Marcata. Now local bands flock to the silo for a bit of that action: Breakfast in Fur, Battle Ave., By Land or Sea, Black Horse Riders and many more, including “name” acts who call our region home, such as Rhett Miller and the Felice Brothers.
So does Marcata have “a sound,” or is it an accident of its client list? The answer, I think, is to be found in McMahon’s work as music-maker, not producer. In his “fictitious band” project Pelican Movement, dark ether fills the space between discrete sounds that, at times, are positively broken. Obscure pop textures rise and fall amidst lush, ominous ambience; clawing and scratching sounds form on the periphery and then disperse. I conclude that this really is the way that he hears it, and it is no mystery why so many bands are drawn to this dramatic blend of beauty and disturbance.
For more on Kevin McMahon and Marcata Recording, visit www.marcata.net.
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