Search - Miracle Legion :: Portrait of a Damaged Family

A little frantic

mr_fishscales | Rochester, New York | 07/04/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was a big fan of Miracle Legion's first two records, The Backyard EP and the Surprise, Surprise, Surprise LP. I never agreed with the R.E.M. comparisons. Mark Mulcahy's voice and lyrics bear no resemblance to Michael Stipe's nor Mr. Ray's guitar style to Mr. Buck's. But I guess that ML never got the commerical success that R.E.M. eventually did and Mulcahy couldn't keep the core band together. I didn't like the relatively stripped down sound of Me and Mr. Ray, nor did I like the stab at commericial acceptance that was Drenched. A Portrait of A Damaged Family is sort of a return to form for ML. But I still find the arrangements a bit crowded and sometimes unnecessarily hurried. There was a spareness and langour to the early records that allows the melancholy of the lyrics to sink in. In the later records Mulcahy and Mr. Ray seem to be trying to be more of a rock band with mixed success. Mulcahy's voice, too, seems strained by the pace. Exceptions to this tendency include "Gone to Bed at 21" and "K.K.M. (Korean Kissing Machine)" and the really beautiful "Homer". The latter, with its look back at a sadness-tinged childhood, would not have been out of place on the first two ML records. Other stand-outs on this CD are "Accidentally On Purpose", "Say I Had A Lovely Time" and "Please".I recommend that people buy this record because Mark Mulcahy is a talent that should be allowed to keep making records. There is a lots of good music on this CD and it is definitely worth seeking out the earlier vinyl too, which you can still occasionally run across in used record stores in New England."

Great unknowns!

mr_fishscales | 07/06/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There is so much soul in this recording. Seasoned, yet unknown, these songwriters will forever be Rhode Island and Connecticut's best kept secret. Please, make more."