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Money Mark
Brand New by Tomorrow
(Brushfire)
First Appeared in The Music Box, February 2007, Volume 14, #2
Written by John Metzger
Over the course of his career, Money Mark has alternated between albums that
have sketched ideas and introduced instrumental textures and those that have
been full-blown, genre-jumping,
pop-oriented affairs. Both Change Is Coming and Mark’s Keyboard Repair fell into
the former camp, while Push the Button and his latest set Brand New by Tomorrow
fall into the latter one. With each iteration, the honorary Beastie Boy has taken steps toward
realizing his vision, and Brand New by Tomorrow undoubtedly is his best
outing yet. Its sad, mournful songs form a meditation of sorts on the demise of
a relationship, though rather than sink into despair, Money Mark tempers the
depressed mood by surrounding his words with the playful touches of The Beatles
and Beck.
Knowing that Money Mark and Sean Lennon once
commingled as part of the Grand Royal scene helps to bring some perspective to
the piece, and the similarities between Brand New by Tomorrow and
Lennon’s Into the Sun and Friendly Fire are striking. The
perfectly timed effects that adorn opening cut Color of Your Blues give
the song a kaleidoscopic hue, while a piano accompaniment drawn from Moby’s Porcelain lends fragility to the gently loping gait of My Loss Your Gain.
On Radiate Nothing, he transforms a cheesy, Casio-derived rhythm track
into a Motown-worthy groove, and with bass legend Carol Kaye in tow, he struts
through the shimmering, psychedelic soul of Pick Up the Pieces. Granted,
there’s nothing on Brand New by Tomorrow that hasn’t been done before,
but Money Mark’s focus combined with his commitment to his cause are enough to make the set
more notable than it otherwise might have been.  ½
Brand New by Tomorrow is available from
Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2007 The Music Box
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