Mark Eitzel "The Invisible Man" Matador Records Ole 505-2 2001 (53:00)
The
Boy With The Hammer In The Paper Bag (5:53)
Can You See? (3:01)
Christian Science Reading Room (3:44)
Sleep (5:17)
To The Sea (3:08)
Shine (4:27)
Steve I Always Knew (4:02)
Bitterness
(4:07)
Anything (5:01)
Without You (4:07)
The
Global Sweep Of Human History (4:09)
Seeing Eye Dog (2:56)
Proclaim Your Joy (3:08)
Singer songwriter Mark Eitzel has long been a critical success if not a commercial one in his 15 year career with American Music Club and on his own. Past flirtations with major labels (Virgin, Warner Bros.) and major rock stars (Peter Buck, Steve Shelley, Mike McCready) aside, Eitzel seems to have found a good home with indie Matador and a prolificacy in a new approach to recording. "The Invisible Man" finally collects together about a fourth of the songs that have been written and often performed live over the past 3 years. For the first time Eitzel has embraced the computer as a compositional aid using Pro Tools for beats and atmospheres throughout. And thankfully he doesn't get too carried away, especially for a first effort, adding just the right amount of flair where necessary to the gentle guitar, bass, piano, keys and horns of his dulcet pop tales. Of the 13 songs, well over half truly have the pure Eitzel magic - the emotive voice, words and melodies that seem to come together so effortlessly - while the rest are good but not quite as engaging. But that's ok. A lesser Mark Eitzel song is generally better than the best most songwriters have to offer and there's more than enough genius here to likely put this album in my top 10 of 2001. Elaborate stories with clever word play reveal the many joys, regrets, fears, foibles and fantasies of the author and his subjects. Excerpts: "some keep their lump of coal safely out of sight thinking one day it'll be hard as diamond", "before you decided you would be happy living as one of the living dead", "have you lost so much that none of your tiny wishes can find a toe hold? have you been recast as some odd character that has no story to unfold?", "if they dismiss me with a frown I'll make sure they never forget their pain", "when evil comes with its bleeding heart, its discount coupon, its Bible and its gun", "it is important throughout your life to proclaim your joy!" Wonderful. Eitzel and band are on tour throughout the UK and States through the end of July ...
Mark Eitzel at Matador Records
Where did I get this cd? - mail order via CD Universe.