mark mulcahy - in pursuit of your happiness
not sure how to explain this one. mark has a lot of history, a lot of which i have not really been involved with as a listener, i have heard about and read about miracle legion, mark's previous band, but i cannot hide the fact that i have never heard the band, so cannot compare this latest solo album to his previous releases. however he seems to have a way with getting the right people talking and writing about him (thom yorke and nick hornby's names are dropped into the press release). 3 years since his last album 'smilesunset', in which mark has been intensely involved with 2 operas. then following certain events mark was given the chance to drag himself along with a few choice friends ( j mascis, joey santiago drop in here and there) into a studio and make an album.
quickly - 2 weeks - done and dusted - result.
now, normally this type of singer songwriter stuff would make my skin crawl, but this is different. mark's voice fits the predominantly downtrodden moods perfectly, the music is simple but beautifully effective and full of addictive hooks. subtle sonic twists and turns give the listener extra rewards with each listen, whether its the accordian/piano interaction on 'cant find a reason to let you go', the fuzzed up happy groove of 'i have patience' (the most insistent of the albums highlights - being a perfect summer indie crossover track - like some leftover from the lemonheads prime era), or the delicious jazzy licks of 'a smack on the lips', or the classic sing-along country-rock vibe of 'nothing but a silver medal', before the album winds down to the epic 7 minutes of the late night, lou reed styled, lonesome blues of 'he's vanished' that quite literally stopped me in my tracks. the albums 49 minutes flow so smoothly that when it's over you just really want to hit the 'play' button again to delay the comedown, something i found myself doing on a regular basis when this album accompanied some recent night shifts.
mission accomplished mark, my happiness has been achieved. thank you.