“ Can’t claim to care/ never been reluctant to share” gives a perfect narrative of how baffled he is at the spike in his popularity post-Viceroy. Whilst many acts in the same circles would rate that lifestyle as solid success DeMarco remains staunchly unimpressed. The alt-celebrity profile birthed from his 2012 media portrayal spawned a wealth of dedicated Tumblr threads, A-grade guestlists and kinships with many other buzz bands. Going back to ‘Passing Out the Pieces’, lyrically we hear a Mac who has survived the hype machine and all the warts that come with it. And it’s here we can garner an appreciative understanding of Salad Days.
In 2014 he has the ways and means to be taken seriously, but you’re never completely sure if he wants to or not. It’s this contradiction that’s always made Mac’s evolution from his budget psychedelic video project Makeout Videotape to present-day Mac – never once being boring nor predictable.
Furthermore, go to a gig and you’ll witness a Mac-fronted band whose musicianship instantly stands out over all their peers, even though they appear to not know it themselves – legend has it Mac’s guitar cost him $30 in 2009. His recordings are minimal, half-ready productions that many bands wouldn’t pass as demos despite his strong multi-instrumentation and songwriting credits on all releases. No doubt he’s still the gap-toothed, loveable prankster of alternative music but he’s now giving the fans something deeper – proof that there is no fool underneath the jester up on stage.ĭeMarco has always seemed like an act who was constantly giving us less than he knew he was capable of. However in true Mac style it’s misleading, given that in album opener and namesake ‘Salad Days’ he refrains that those days of reckless abandon are now behind him. Remarkably the title of the album itself would be far more in line with the Mac (real name: Vernor Winfield McBriare Smith IV) of 2012 the Mac who gained a semi-cult following with some hilarious post-watershed Youtube clips and an anthemic ode to his favourite cigarettes, Viceroy. It’s a line that immediately anchors the listener in with what to expect from the rest of his critically praised, self-produced 2014 release, Salad Days. “ What Mom doesn’t know/ has taken its toll on me” sings Mac DeMarco on album number three’s lead single, ‘Passing Out the Pieces’. By Peter Devine 0 Mac DeMarco – Salad Days
0 kommentar(er)
