Prosthesis is the fourth album in 5 years from Mark Ryan’s shadowy, shape-shifting “solo” band. Based in Ft. Worth, TX, Mind Spider’s launched pretty much immediately after Mark’s last project, the well-loved, highly-influential Marked Men went on indefinite hiatus at the beginning of 2009.

Earliest recordings were Mark playing more-or-less everything (except drums on some tracks), but since then the Mind Spiders lineup has been continually evolving, with Mark remaining the sole songwriter and constant member. On this album, the lineup is Mark Ryan (Marked Men, Radioactivity, High Tension Wires, etc), Daniel Fried (Bad Sports, Radioactivity, Video, High Tension Wires, etc), Mike Throneberry (Marked Men) and Peter Salisbury (Baptist Generals/Sub Pop Records). Currently, the live band is a guitar-keyboard/drum 3 piece featuring Mark, Mike and Peter.

Keyboards and guitars blend seamlessly into ominous, bleak (yet somehow still super catchy!) dark pop explorations, also incorporating postpunk, bedroom pop, krautrock, and tons of other obscure references throughout the 8-song LP. The first Mind Spiders album to be recorded at Mark and Jeff Burke’s (Radioactivity, Marked Men) new Cool Devices studio in Ft. Worth, Texas.

Prosthesis Track List:

1. Rip It Out
2. No Filter
3. Running
4. Cold
5. Prosthesis
6. Split In Two
7. Nothing Without It
8. Ulcer

Each Mind Spiders album has been different from the last. With that said, Prosthesis is probably a bit less of a stylistic departure from their last album (Inhumanistic, 2013) than from previous work. The album clocks in at a brief 8 tracks, however the songs tend to run a little longer than normal, really giving the individual songs room to breathe and grow.

Mind Spiders @ SXSW
3/17 – Valhalla (Dirtnap Records Showcase – 9pm)
3/18 – Jackalope (Texas Power Punk Day Party – 4:15pm)