Marvin The Robot
Hummable hits since 1999.
Pop!Cafe On The Town by Pete Bruinsma
It's as hard to peg Marvin the Robot down to a style of music as it is to peg Miles -- the brains, voice, and sole perpetrator of the project -- down to a schedule, but I've found you can't go wrong with a barrage of loosely defining descriptive words: disturbing yet humorous, impatient indie-rock with a twinge of dark mystery and a lot of lo-fi sound. It's hard to leave a Marvin the Robot show with a frown on your face, which makes it easy to become addicted to the experience.
-1999
indie rock goes back to its jangly raucous roots on marvin the robot’s ‘commercially viable jump music’
Growing up an acolyte of the Lou Barlow and J Mascis school of indie rock, I will always have a soft spot for the earnest lo-fi stylings of bands like Marvin the Robot. The Columbus, OH collective has been kicking around since 1999, always with singer / guitarist Miles Curtiss at its center. Their latest, Commercially Viable Jump Music, is Curtiss’ music at its best: stripped down, unpretentious, and raw.
It’s an album that harkens back to an era when the term “indie rock” wasn’t just code for “pop, but with guitars.” There’s a personality here. Songs like “Girls Can Tell” and “Shouldn’t Have To Be So Brave” couldn’t have come from anyone else. Jangly acoustic guitars peek out from behind the sludged heavy lead, and drums have exactly two modes: loud or not playing.
Videos
From the album Commercially Viable Jump Music
I know it’s March, but this video is fun.
Rock N Roll interview Hands To Ourselves era.
A send off concert to one of Columbus’ greatest music venues.
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