Even if I don't like all of the material, I've always been amazingly impressed by the sheer workload endured by Thorp Records, especially now that they've additionally branched out into the new 
Fittingly enough, due to its relation to the above disc, also recently released by Sailor's Grave is Mark Lind's first solo album, "Death or Jail". One cool little thing about this record is that the booklet contains brief explanatory text about the tracks after each set of lyrics, which includes details about the inspiration or history behind the songs—some of which have actually had bits and pieces recycled into songs by The Ducky Boys or Sinners & Saints since the time of their initial conception. Clearly this dude's a prolific songwriter, but while you might be expecting something singer/songwriter-ish from a solo outing, this stuff doesn't come off that way at all. In fact, these are basically rock songs that sound rather similar to The Ducky Boys with smatterings of Sinners & Saints here and there (though this record is slightly rawer than prior outings from both). In some ways it seems like what makes these songs more appropriate for a solo effort is the lyrics, because the bulk of the lyrical content herein is intensely personal—arguably a little more so than Lind's work within other bands. Perhaps the general vibe of the work is also a little more midpaced from a musical standpoint, but overall it's still a "heart-on-sleeve" type of thing, as always (including a nice cover of Paul Westerberg's "Sadly Beautiful"). While I know it's not the point or intention at all, I still have to say that I could envision this stuff sounding pretty damn huge and amazing given the means of a really slick and ambitious recording. Good stuff... but damn am I still waiting for the Lind brothers to make it happen with another Sinners & Saints record!
Mark Lind "Too Much"
Mark Lind "The Lonely People"
As is always the case, I encourage you to buy the album for yourself if you enjoy the material:
