Ada Jane

I'm a fan of The 'Mats and Ada Jane's Never Been Better unquestionably has the influence of Minneapolis' favorite sons Paul, Bob, Tommy, and Chris. 'You'll Never Be Satisfied', an early 80s post punk influenced track, opens the album and quickly moves to 'On Your Level', a song about the frustrations of being "just friends", which is reminiscent of 'Mats era Tim and Pleased To Meet Me. If you think this band is strictly a copycat act, then you're wrong. Sure, Ada Jane goes into 'Mats territory on Never Been Better but they move out of that all-familiar terrain into a place where listeners get to hear another great rock band. Additional album highlights include 'This is My Broom', 'Tally Up', and 'Show 'Em Your Teeth'. - Dave Heaton

Again…Again combines all that we love about bona fide Minneapolis rock: sincere lyrics, catchy riffs, potential to disable ears, horns, and enough growl-singing to be convincing without sounding Battle of the Bands. Remember the good days, before musicians went soft and started playing glockenspiels? Ada Jane remembers. - Lara Crombie

"Again...Again" is filled with hidden gems. Marka makes music that is very much Minnesotan, with big, catchy choruses and the sort of unrestrained joy that comes from being stuck inside during the long cold winter. - Ross Raihala

What does Minneapolis sound like? Two names, one band: Ada Jane. Commit this to memory because the whole country — including Toledo— is about to find out just how pleasing Minneapolis is to the ears.

-Toledo City Paper review by Emily Rippe - Toledo City Paper

"Ada Jane is poised to expand its following greatly as their brand of workman-like rock has never sounded better." - Rob Van Alstyne

Ada Jane hail from Minneapolis, Minn., and you don't have to get very far into the band's latest record before that fact smacks you right between the eyes. "On Your Level," the second track on Never Been Better, has the underdog anthem qualities of classic Replacements, Matt Marka singing in a rough-throated howl over guitars that have the wild fury of Bob Stinson but the lo-fi buzz of Hüsker Dü-era Bob Mould. The mellow "This Is My Broom" may reference the Replacements' "Left of the Dial" in its first verse, but the gentle, vaguely country ballad would sound more at home in the Jayhawks' songbook. There's even a tinge of Soul Asylum in the rocker "High to Low," easily the album's highlight.

Yet despite some obvious touchstones, Ada Jane have a sound all their own. After three albums as the Matt Marka Band, the band's first album under its new moniker stretches out in all kinds of directions, yet contains a surprising cohesiveness. There are blistering rockers (the Kings of Leon-ish blues workout "You'll Never Be Satisfied"), yearning ballads (the dark "Everybody Else Bailed," featuring lovely backing vocals by Larissa Anderson), and even bouncy pop ("The Wayside," a song that slaughters Barenaked Ladies at their own game). Yet despite the variety, the songs are tied together by Marka's pleasingly ragged voice and a guitar style that impeccably fills in just the right blanks in every song. Though the tempo slows throughout, Never Been Better never loses a listener's interest, holding a consistent mood and consistently high quality throughout its 11 tracks.

Ada Jane is obviously a labor of love for Marka, and was recorded on the cheap and definitely sounds like it. The lo-fi sound isn't a detriment to the album overall—especially on the guitars, which sound great with a little bit of grime on them—but there are a few times where a little more polish would have pushed already good songs to greatness. The biggest way that the production fails is in the drums. Charlie Wilson is certainly a fine drummer, but with his kit so thin in the mix, some of the rockers (particularly the previously mentioned "On Your Level" and the careening rocker "Tally Up") sound empty without some more muscle behind the percussion.

Still, with uniformly strong songwriting played by a tight power trio, Matt Marka and Ada Jane have crafted a fine first album that's definitely worth seeking out. A- | Jason Green

RIYL: Minneapolis rock, circa the late-'80s - Jason Green

We Minnesotans need at least one album like Again…Again every year.

-Borangutan review by Skelly - Borangutan

a satisfying collection of hard-n-soft pop, rock and romantic razzle-dazzle that should proudly join the ranks of such local stalwarts as The Magnolias and mid-period Mats on the Twin Cities already full-to-overflowing Wall Of Rock n Roll Heartbreakers. Good stuff.

-Tom Hallett - PULSE magazine