Mark's solo records quickly become a sound track to the listener's life. Each track you listen to grows in fondness and familiarity for you.What separates him from his contemporaries is what he can do with his voice, his music, and especially his lyrics. He is simple one of the best song writers out there.
His newest release in over eight years is Dear Mark J. Mulcahy, I Love You and is available through the Mezzotint label. In many ways it is his best solo record to date. Unlike the celebrated, and cerebral, In Pursuit of Your Happiness . This record jumps out at you. In the opening track I Taketh Away Mark delivers a punchy get up and move anthem on the frustrations of avoidance and choices peppered with religious commentary that is equally sarcastic as it is insightful.
This street level insights continues with the next track Everybody Hustles Leo which begin with a shuffling drum beat that is sexed with the clangy guitar riff of Mark's rich sounding electric hallow body guitar. This song seduces you with the opening line "She tried to sell me some sky, she kept it in her wonder bra" is the song that places you on that seedy avenue on the wrong side of town where the protagonists Leo is a willing participant at the hands of street folk and happens to fall in love with the dealer or is it the white stuff ?
This is followed by the next track that deals out infatuation with an S & M twist with a woman who is in complete control of her man. She Makes The World Turn Backwards is hilarious as it is seducing. Who is she? Have you know her? Do you want to know her? Will she hurt you? In Mark's world when he sings
" black and blue that is the way with you. The worse is yet to come. The crowds are yelling jump! Its jump you fool" We all have a voyeuristic desire to be controlled by dominant and unforgiving sexual force of nature. In this song you are more than willing to go for the ride.
Mark's fourth track is a funky Dada type number that is part Animal Farm and a late night cartoon and could also be an ode to the zoo animals of Forest Park in his hometown of Springfield. Let the Firesflies Fly Away is lyrical gem, filled with wild metaphors on a cast of characters from the ark as Mark sings with conviction and power as he drives the tunes through with a gospel inspired passion for freedom. He ends it with a child like fancy as the title reveals.
What will also strike you by now is the wonderful production on this record. Co-produced by both Mark and Henning Ohlenbusch the sound is rich, bright and has an analog warmth to it. Henning is also a vital part of Mark's current band along with Ken Maiuri.
Mark continues to populate this record with characters that are obsessed with religion like with He's a Magnet with its soft core chorus. To friends who may be always be there to recharge our batteries in My Rose Colored Friend a song that we can all relate to as Mark sings in the chorus " All we want is a straight story from somebody"
Bailing Out on Everything Again with its chop stick keyboards melody is as beautiful as it is haunting as the singer fall in love in things he hate and is not filled with rage but instead with a romantic complacency.
Badly Madly is possibly the most bittersweet song Mark has every written on being in a love triad. With its lilting English country ballad music dancing with an accompanying flute like syn sounds. Mark's poetic lyrics illustrate both a plea and a warning for his love choosing the wrong man. Mark's rich and sweet voice is not demanding her affection, but instead using clever prose to express his heart " I don't believe you feel as badly. If he loved you madly... like I do, like I do"
This is juxtaposed with the poppy Posion Candy Heart, possibly an reaction to be dumped in the previous song? Or is she from that seedy avenue Leo inhabits? Once again Mark takes the role of a man done wrong but is more than a willing victim as he sings "Your serious but wonderful...reckless as a chainsaw...thrilling in the bedroom and I am average in so many ways"
This triad of love songs ends with the most amazing track on this record. The Rabbit. Once again Mark shows his brilliance as a lyricists as he displays such yearnings tempered with contempt for the predicament he has once again placed his heart in ." Wilting willingly your too much to handle...and I am just a Chinese candle on the window sill." In once sentence Mark's mastery of perception of two lovers is put on full display. Who can write such lyrics? Sadly not many these days. The music is both sad as it is is beautiful a lap steel guitar helps foster the sense of loss or is it acceptance?
The final track is Where's The Indifference Now? is a powerful commentary on suicide and our celebrity obsessed society. One in which we want to know everything but honestly are not moved emotionally to do anything about such tragedies. We just rubber neck or even worse are inconvenienced by such events as the unknown character declares " Don't interrupt my evening. I am on the phone and watching TV" upon finding out about the poor kid next store.
Lucky for fans of Mark Mulcahy's music we are paying attention and do notice and appreciate the nuances , insights, and paradoxes in the worlds that Mark paints and we are very well rewarded for such efforts on this record.
You can be as well and in less than thirty five minutes too.
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