Magic Of The Marketplace – Jealous Moon (CD EP Review)

Label: JSNTGM and Engineer Records
Cat No.: JSNTGM 045, IGN 435
Format: CDr Limited to 200

There’s something compellingly democratic about this four-track offering from The Magic of the Marketplace — a name that feels half-satirical, half-sincere in its intent, which is entirely fitting given the contents. As with many JSNTGM releases, there’s a raw honesty to the production and a clear intent not to outpace the music’s function: to provoke, to energise, and to connect. Yet, unlike many standard-issue punk blasts, this one sticks around long enough to leave shape and form behind in its wake.

Comprised of a revolving cast pulled from the likes of Erase Today, Sonic Boom Six, Litterbug, Sick56 and One Way System, it would be tempting to expect an all-out, thrash-and-burn affair — but what we get instead is something that’s surprisingly measured in its chaos. The sound is tight, sharp, and self-aware, taking cues from the classic three-chord punk template but adding unexpected flourishes in vocal arrangement and structure that speak to experience, not just energy.

Higgins takes the mic throughout, sounding characteristically impassioned but with a touch more restraint — or perhaps it’s just the clarity of the production. Either way, it works. The standout here might be Smile and Wave, which features some rather sublime backing vocals that lift the song beyond the usual shout-along into something almost anthemic. There’s a strange joy here, a flicker of something tongue-in-cheek and hopeful amidst the abrasion.

Walls is another highlight — a track that might be best remembered for the duet between Higgins and Diggle. Their voices intersect in that ragged, authentic way that recalls the shared mic aesthetic of early Clash bootlegs or Hüsker Dü live tapes. But where those bands often let momentum blur the edges, here there’s an attention to arrangement and tone that feels almost Albini-esque: clean, crunchy, and deceptively spacious.

Throughout, the guitars hit that sweet spot — crisp, distorted, but never muddy. It’s like someone took Rocket to Russia and ran it through a Bleach-era tape deck before handing the results to a Steve Albini who just wanted to have fun. Punk as form, not just noise — and maybe that’s the real triumph here.

As with much of what JSNTGM touches, The Magic of the Marketplace captures a kind of regional DIY spirit that’s refreshingly free of posturing. It’s music made for community, not commerce — the kind of thing that makes you want to start a band, a label, or at the very least, start shouting along in your bedroom.

4.0 out of 5.0 stars4.0