Money Mark
Brand New by Tomorrow

(Brushfire)

First Appeared in The Music Box, February 2007, Volume 14, #2

Written by John Metzger

On his 2001 endeavor Change Is Coming, honorary Beastie Boy Money Mark reverted to the sketchy ideas and instrumental textures of his solo debut Mark’s Keyboard Repair. His latest effort Brand New by Tomorrow, however, swerves back toward the sun baked, genre-jumping pop of Push the Button, and it is, without question, his most fully realized outing to date. Constructed around a tale of heartache and loss, the songs exude a sad and mournful air, though Money Mark elevates the mood by playfully blurring the line between The Beatles and Beck as he comes to terms with the demise of a relationship. Knowing that he 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

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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