Money Mark was due for a vocal album after the instrumental Change Is Coming, and he was long due for any kind of release, considering it had been five and a half years since that record. So, praise is due to Jack Johnson for green-lighting the recording of Brand New by Tomorrow on his Brushfire label after he heard some early demos. (The two share a friend and producer in Mario Caldato, Jr.) Although Johnson and Money Mark don't seem to have much in common on the surface, their laid-back approach to the music of the '70s is similar -- be it singer/songwriter pop or funk -- and their one collaboration here, "Pick Up the Pieces," is a happy marriage. (Fortunately, Johnson's help is limited to the songwriting.) Elsewhere, Mark is just as spot-on with his songwriting and his gadgety one-man-band playing, although the vocals take more of the limelight than on past records. (Apparently, the drums on the early demos were a little harder before Caldato produced a mix that had, as Mark put it, "more wrist and less forearm.") He's only improved as a vocalist, often double-tracking his vocals for ghostly harmony, and keeping his instrumental prowess to just a few tricks per song. Mark described this as a post-9/11 record (Change Is Coming was released in early September 2001), and there are elements of sadness or melancholia to songs like "Everyday I Die a Little," "Summer Blue," and "Color of Your Blues," but Mark's laid-back stride keeps the affair surprisingly buoyant.
It's not a revolutionary statement. It's not something that has never been said before and yet, there is a heartbreaking clarity to it. More that just existential ennui, it's also biological fact. And I like that. It's like functional design. I like that as well. I'm not into design that doesn't work. I have no time for those pantaloon wearing buffoons who cry 'BUT ITS BEAUTIFUL!'. I'm interest...
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I dunno if the whole world has them, or if they're unique to Los Angeles. Either way, they're fun to watch. Like a cross between skateboarding and baton-twirling.And finally, somebody was smart enough to use them in a music video. It's Money Mark, former keyboard player for the Beastie Boys. I'm not crazy about his new solo album, but this track, called "Pick Up the Pieces," is actually pretty ...
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I got this from one of my favorite blogs 3Hive This track sounds as if could have been on Stevie Wonder's Hotter Than July and totally flowed along with all the tracks. Please do yourself a favor and funkify your day a little. Damn this track is hot.Here is some small info from 3Hive:"A quick Money Mark refresher: He was instrumental, literally and figuratively, on Beastie Boys albums like Chec...
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I got this from one of my favorite blogs 3Hive This track sounds as if could have been on Stevie Wonder's Hotter Than July and totally flowed along with all the tracks. Please do yourself a favor and funkify your day a little. Damn this track is hot.Here is some small info from 3Hive:"A quick Money Mark refresher: He was instrumental, literally and figuratively, on Beastie Boys albums like Chec...
More >
I dunno if the whole world has them, or if they're unique to Los Angeles. Either way, they're fun to watch. Like a cross between skateboarding and baton-twirling.And finally, somebody was smart enough to use them in a music video. It's Money Mark, former keyboard player for the Beastie Boys. I'm not crazy about his new solo album, but this track, called "Pick Up the Pieces," is actually pretty ...
More >
It's not a revolutionary statement. It's not something that has never been said before and yet, there is a heartbreaking clarity to it. More that just existential ennui, it's also biological fact. And I like that. It's like functional design. I like that as well. I'm not into design that doesn't work. I have no time for those pantaloon wearing buffoons who cry 'BUT ITS BEAUTIFUL!'. I'm interest...
More >
| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Color of Your Blues |
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| 2 Pick Up the Pieces |
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| 3 Summer Blue |
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| 4 Pretend to Sleep |
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| 5 My Loss, Your Gain |
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| 6 Everyday I Die a Little |
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| 7 Radiate Nothing |
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| 8 Black Butterfly |
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| 9 Nice to Me |
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| 10 Eyes That Ring |
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| 11 Brand New by Tomorrow |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Brand New by Tomorrow")
