“The March Divide - Anticipation Pops (CD, Slow Start, Pop) Yet another album from The March Divide featuring cool, smart, credible pop. Jared Putnam's the main man in this band, and he never lets his listeners down. This talented fellow's music just keeps getting better. Anticipation Pops is one solid spin. The album features ten smart guitar-driven pop tracks with a heavy emphasis on vocal melodies and lyrics. Over time, most artists tend to begin overproducing their music which in many ways detracts from their original sound. Putnam avoids this trap, opting instead to present his songs using only the basics. The stripped down approach works when there's substance present. And you'll hear plenty of substance here. The chord progressions are interesting and unpredictable. The arrangements for each track are precise and exacting. And once again the vocals are just perfect. Pops is yet another exceedingly entertaining spin. Cool reflective cuts include "I Don't Care," "Spinning," "Tie One On," and "Lucky." Top pick.”
— babysue
“Spinning, The March Divide (from the Slow Start Records release Anticipation Pops) San Antonio, Texas-based Jared Putnam, aka The March Divide, has been on a creative tear of late. Over the past several years he’s released a slew of new music, the latest of which – Anticipation Pops – has just arrived. Putnam continues to wear his heart on his sleeve, filling his songs with tension and anxiety. That said, the melodies are as catchy as ever, even with their occasional air of melancholy. “Spinning” plays as an alternative love song. “I know you think I’m crazy, I’m not crazy, I’m just kind of bored,” he confesses at the beginning before professing “I don’t know, why the world spins around, around, around, but all I know is I’m glad you’re spinning on it with me.” He captures the pivotal decision point of a failing relationship in the resolute “I’ve Got Mine”: I’m alright, I’ll be fine, It’s like the light came on, & it happened just in time You’re alright, you’ll be fine, We don’t have to live the same, You’ve got your way & I’ve got mine “We’ve Got Time” is a piano-tinged ballad that finds him mourning a lost love with a bit of contempt. “I guess I’m never going to know what you had to say, but I bet it wasn’t really much of anything.” “Lucky”, the album closer, confronts the angst with an air of hope. “Familiar feelings, abandonment & the beauty that comes with it,” he sings, “ But I’ll pick myself up, just like I always have.”” - Mayer Danzig
“It statrs with one of those perfect pop—with power!—songs, all jangly descending riffage culled from the Guided by Voices Book of Oomph, a propulsive back beat (that you can’t lose, natch), yearning-yet-emphatic vocals that’d make a Superchunk fan stand up and salute, a heartbeat, drop-out midsection that steers you directly up to the pinnacle. No matter that “Exit Signs” is a cautionary, pessimistic tune about good times that are in danger of going bad (although the closing chorus tentatively reassures that “it’ll be all right”); by track’s end, Jared Putnam has hooked you, in all the ways rock ‘n’ roll is supposed to hook you. (Hold that thought, please….) San Antonio-based Putnam, essentially a one-man band, now on full-length number three, has steadily been refining his musical vision, to the point that Saturdays is easily the most assured effort from the March Divide to date. There are songs so effortlessly accessible that you could imagine them being slotted into an I Heart Radio playlist without blinking—he’d teach the listening audience a thing or two about craft, methinks, as opposed to no-substance flash and image—and there are songs as visionary and forward-thinking as GbV’s Robert Pollard was back in the day, during his ahead-of-the-pop-curve days. From the insistent push-pull pulse, sinewy strums and buoyant “whoah-ohh-oahhh” chorus of “Take Your Chances” and the Weezer-esque anthemism of “I Give Up,” to the Big Star-informed, strummy acoustic reverie that is “Over and Over” and the meaty minor chord rocker (and equally anthemic) “Go to Sleep,” Putnam demonstrates his mastery of the love song, in all its myriad variations. It’s a fun album, upbeat when it needs to be and soulful when you need it to be. The kind of album that, in a just world, will be blasted from car stereos all summer long, windows down, fists pounding on steering wheels and young lovers sitting close beside one another. Speaking of “hooked,” above: Saturdays is a vinyl fetishist’s delight, pressed as it is on random shades of colored wax. Mine is a lovely magenta/purplish, blue-splotched platter, bolstered by a corresponding blue label. It’s the little touches that count, at least to these eyes and ears. If this is a March Divide, then I’m joining up.” - Fred Mills
“The March Divide - Saturdays (Independently released CD, Pop/rock) Listening to the music created by San Antonio, Texas-based singer/songwriter/recording artist Jared Putnam has been similar to watching a photograph develop slowly over time. Early March Divide recordings were kind of fuzzy and not yet well-developed. But the essential ingredients were there. Now that a few years have passed, Jared has fine-tuned his craft to the point where his songs have a sheen and brilliance that was only hinted at in the early days. Saturdays is mostly a solo album although drums were played by Austin Busbee. In terms of sound quality and songs, this album is probably our favorite March Divide release to date. The songs tread on that fine line that separates commercial pop from art. Just about anyone could enjoy and appreciate these tunes, but that's not to say this is shallow commercial dribble. Because it is anything but. Some songs are punchy pop, while others are in a more folky vein. Throughout all fourteen songs Putnam keeps things interesting, all the while presenting several tracks that could easily become hugely popular. Our favorite cuts include "Exit Signs," "I Give Up," "Go To Sleep," and "Stacey." Recommended. Top pick. ”
— babysue
“Artist: The March Divide Album: “Saturdays” The March Divide is essentially just one man named Jared Putnam. His new record “Saturdays” with white cover art recruits only one other musician, drummer Austin Busbee. Putnam has almost single-handedly made his “white album.” This 14 track project deserves to be likened to the Beatles’ celebrated 1968 musical kaleidoscope with pure white jacket because it’s so good. The sixth day has a reputation for being the happiest 24 hours of the week and Saturdays’ music dovetails to that expectation. It’s the record’s sonic balance that’s most remarkable. Every song is a joy and none resembles the others. Gentle tempos give way to infectiously upbeat ones. “I Give Up” is one of these adorably speedy power pop numbers. Its sweetness clocks in at a diminutive two and a half minutes. “Katherine Loves the Fall” is about a young single mother who doesn’t like her job at the mall. Putnam carefully crafts his story song about a woman focused on the future with the care of a diamond cutter. Train wheels slapping track percussion on “I Don’t Recall” builds while conveying Putnam’s vocals and backing chorus to a crescendo. “This Infatuation” bravely cradles a whistling chorus and woodblock percussion to its bosom. It’s a quirky break-up song concluding with a few seconds of inexplicable party noise. A White Stripes riff is delicately pinched for the opening of “Over and Over.” There’s no blues like that of a shift worker doing the same awful job day in and day out. “Stacey” sounds like the Beach Boys on a surf perfect afternoon. That would naturally be on a Saturday. ” - Doug Hill
“San Antonio based musician, Jared Putnam, who plays as pop-rock band The March Divide, is probably one of the hardest working guys you will meet. From constant touring and networking to cranking out an impressive catalog of music, Jared doesn’t stop. Continuing with that full head of steam, The March Divide announced the upcoming release of a new album, Saturdays. The thought of a new MD album had me drooling. I was beyond excited when I got the chance to preview Saturdays, and it definitely did not disappoint. From saucy riffs, savory melodies and succulent lyrics, there is a reason my mouth was watering. Each song takes you on a different journey and leaves you wanting more. There are a lot of new sounds and ideas that were tried on this album as well. Putnam challenged himself to bring less traditional forms of percussion to pop songs to breathe some fresh air in his music. “I wanted to try and bring the songs to a whole new level of pop sonics,” Putnam said. “For Saturdays, I took it upon myself, even with my less than impressive percussion skills, to try and make it happen.” After explaining an idea that came from reading an article about how radio stations have begun to consider airing portions of songs to accommodate the short attention spans of their listeners, he mention another tactic he tried. “I wrote several songs that are between 90 seconds and two minutes long, I decided to use it as a personal challenge to write short songs, but without sacrificing the things that I think make a song good,” he said. My personal favorites include “Stacey” and “I Don’t Recall”, which you can hear the varied percussion and shorter styled songs, respectively. All in all, this is a solid album that you will leave on repeat for weeks, be humming in your head non-stop and hear in your dreams. Furthermore, I think it will also help take The March Divide to the next level.“Saturdays” arrives on May 13th, don’t sleep on it.” - Jacob Andrew
“We've enjoyed previous releases we've heard from The March Divide. This EP provides the most precise and direct punch yet. Singer/songwriter Jared Putnam saved some favorites for this EP...and they're bound to be fan favorites as well. Considering the fact that there are only seven songs here, they're all impressively different from one another. Tunes delve into everything from buzzsaw rock to straightforward pop to alternative rock and even folk. But no matter what the sound or style, Jared's intelligent lyrics and inspired melodies drive the music to the next level. The rockier stuff sometimes reminds us of 1990s bands like Bad Religion or Bracket...while some of the softer stuff occasionally recalls David Bowie or even very early Rick Springfield (!?). Our initial favorites are "Forward Thinking," "Slow Down," "You Save Me," and "Lessons." The super simple cover art is killer.”
— babysue