Send "Jesse Malin " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Absolutepunk |
 At this point in his career, it's safe to say Jesse Malin may never make an album as masterful as his 2003 album The Fine Art of Self-Destruction. That alt.country staple came along at the right time and caught a wave of momentum that has made him a major draw throughout the United States and Europe to this day. However, his latest album, Love it to Life, may be the one that puts him back on the map. After mild success with the Bruce Springsteen duet "Radio Nowhere" off of 2007's Glitter in the Gutter, and tepid success with 2004's critically lauded The Heat, Malin has indeed crafted an album that is worthy of repeated listens. A native and resident New Yorker, he has never been shy about his roots and often sings about it in many of his songs. Live it to Life is no different as he tackles the locale on at least three songs. Of those three, "St. Mark's Sunset" is the most indelible, though album opener, "Burning the Bowery" may arguably be the most complete song he has ever recorded. His vulnerable and softer side is illuminated in "The Archer" and album closer "Lonely At Heart." Other noteworthy numbers include the swaggering "Lowlife in a High Rise," and the gritty, "All The Way from Moscow" Though he's deviated away from his alt.country leanings and seems to veer more towards lo-fi punk, Malin is never without his charms. Tracks like, "Disco Ghetto" and "Black Boombox" are in essence gritty odes to sweat, determination and hardwork. Those last three traits seem to sum up Malin best and is probably why SideOneDummy has included him on their roster....full text |
| Readjunk |
| I’ve seen Jesse Malin’s name thrown around a lot but I haven’t really heard his music until seeing him open up for Gogol Bordello a few weeks ago. I liked his sound and was curious to see how he sounded on his albums. His latest album “Love It To Life” comes out in April and I think he will get a lot more fans with this release. This album also is his Side One Dummy debut! Jesse Malin has been playing music since he was a teenager, with the hardcore punk band The Heart Attacks, and then later on with D Generation. When I hear his music, he reminds me of musicians like Johnny Thunders, Joe Strummer, Bob Dylan, Willie Nile, Ryan Adams, Steve Earle and all those rocker troubadour types. Of course there’s a hint of punk rock in his music but I wouldn’t go right out to classify him as that. What I like about Side One Dummy lately is there knack for signing artists that are different and aren’t necessarily popular among the kiddies (*cough* Epitaph *cough*). “Burning The Bowery” starts off the album and it’s probably my favorite song on the album. It could also be the heaviest song on there as well. The intro to the song is catchy and stays in my head. That’s one song I vividly remember when he played it live. Besides the rock tunes, I also don’t mind the slower rock songs like “The Archer” and “Lowlife in a High Rise.” When Jesse breaks out the slower stuff, he sounds a bit country western to me which is why I think he has a bit of Steve Earle in him. No, not literally you pervs! But anyway, now that I finally had a chance to listen to some Jesse Malin music, I have a feeling I’m going to be listening to this album a ton. You can see Jesse Malin and The St. Marks Social open for Gogol Bordello this Spring on select dates....full text |
| Distortedmagazine |
| Jesse Malin (with three critically acclaimed solo records) had spent his early days fronting seminal hardcore trio Heart Attack and infamous glam punks D Generation, then seven years on the road as a solo artist, Malin had cultivated a devout fan base. He’d shared stages with everyone from The White Stripes to Counting Crows, The Hold Steady to Lucinda Williams, but felt like he was losing the plot. Malin contemplated going back to school, becoming a stand-up comedian or a Las Vegas wedding DJ, and even started work on a documentary film about DC hardcore Rastafarians The Bad Brains. For over a year he didn’t play or record. When asked by a Hollywood screenwriter to pen songs for a film about author J.D. Salinger, Malin — a fan of Catcher in the Rye and other Salinger works — traveled to Cornish, NH hoping to speak to the famous recluse. In typical punk-rock fashion, instead of getting the interview, Malin landed at the local precinct for trespassing and was released only after the cops watched his video duet with Bruce Springsteen for “Broken Radio” on YouTube and were convinced he was just a writer doing research. Though he never met Salinger (who passed away this past January), Malin made the most of the experience by writing “The Archer” and “Lonely at Heart”—two songs that would make him want to work again and become the basis for his new album. Over the summer of 2009, in the basement of Avenue A watering hole Hi-Fi, Malin, with impresario Don DiLego, drummer Randy Schrager, guitarist Matt Hogan, and bassist/DJ Tommy USA, worked with his newly formed band to bash out an album’s worth of gritty anthems, and The St. Marks Social was born. A solid band, but one with an open door to Malin’s community of musician friends – longtime partner in crime Ryan Adams, pop singer Mandy Moore, fellow label mate Brian Fallon, and former bandmates from D Generation Howie Pyro and Danny Sage – the Social is a group effort to keep the P.M.A. Says Malin, “To me, rock ‘n’ roll is an exorcism that begins every night when the sun goes down, the music starts playing, and the spirits start flowing. It helps to say things in public over dirty microphones. It’s a way to spit out the poison.”...full text |
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