Livid in a madman's hell
E. A Solinas | MD USA | 05/30/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Money Mark, also known as Mark Ramos Nishita, ducks out of his day job (as one of the Beastie Boys) to produce "Demo or Demolition," adding to his already impressive array of solo efforts. His swirl of R&B, electronic grooves, funk and jazz come across as plaintive and a little ominous, but it's a solid EP.
It starts off with a bang in the funky "Livid in a Madman's Hell," followed by the slower tempo of "Burn Away," a surprisingly tender song. That softer vibe continues in the jazzy "Three O'Clock," only to shift into the intermittent acoustic/electronic "Break Open My Shell." Mark sounds almost wistful in "Nice 2 Me," and ends it with an equal bang in the dancey, strong "Never Bend."
Money Mark is one of those artists who just never sound boring. At least he doesn't in "Demo or Demolition," with his smooth mix of musical styles. The closest it ever comes to boring is "Burn Away," which seems a bit less enthusiastic than the others.
His faster melodies tend to jump all over your sense of sound, while staying rigidly reined in. The slower ones are more like ballads; save some Hammond and moog mixed in, they stay pretty much in one place. Backing that up is some slightly muffled guitar, what sounds like a harmonica, grizzled bass, and some pretty wicked percussion. And Mark's mellow vocals, which sound like one one of the instruments in "Livid in a Madman's Hell," gets to take front-and-center in "Nice 2 Me."
Money Mark proves again that some of his best work is done outside the Beastie Boys, in his latest EP, the enjoyable "Demo or Demolition." Definitely worth checking out."
Track Listings (6) - Disc #1