Oddly enough, after I bought the disc, I had a friend who saw it in my apartment and started singing the first song, 'No Myth'. That's when I realized he'd had an impact. Quite honestly, I didn't listen to the album until that point. I'd listened to the one track Lisa and Wendy performed on, but I skipped the rest. That was a huge mistake.
'No Myth' is one of the album's singles and aptly so. It starts off with a strong beat and a catchy tune that doesn't stop from the second it starts. When I look at pictures of Penn and view the artwork, I think about the dust bowl. Recession period USA. But that quickly fades with the irresistible rhythms that jump out at you. Granted, there's an element of the past in just about everything he writes, but it's infectious and exciting. 'No Myth' is a wonderful song. It's fun, energetic and compelling. You can't listen to this one and not want to boogie down. 'Half Harvest' is the second number and it's significantly slower than 'No Myth'. The beat picks up a bit during the chorus. The lyrics to this one are a little confusing. I'm not exactly sure what the song's about, but I feel like it's a social commentary piece and deals with something specific to Southern California. But I have no idea what that might be.
'This & That' practically jumps out of the speakers at you and the punctuated guitar jabs are impulsive and exciting... They blend well with the melodic chorus. This song is a piece of brilliance. I absolutely love it! There's an element of the track that sounds like the Paisley Underground movement from the 80's. Just marvelous. 'Brave New World' is another rocking number. This one has a rockabilly sensibility to it and reminds me of a Stray Cats swing beat. Enjoyable tune! 'Innocent One' is the first ballad on the disc. It's a folksy tune with a tender vocal delivery. It feels personal in many ways.
Next up is the reason I bought the album. Although it's listed as one song, track 6 is actually two songs. The first is an instrumental intro written by Patrick Warren called, 'Disney's A Snow Cone'. It's followed by the cut featuring Lisa and Wendy, 'Bedlam Boys'. 'Bedlam Boys' has that deep groove Wendy & Lisa are so great at producing. The song is phenomenal! I can't praise it enough. I feel like these two have an amazing talent to bring out the best in the people they work with and in this case, they help an extremely gifted musician create absolute magic.
'Invisible' is another song built around a strong beat. Penn has a great sense of timing and avoids a common trap encountered by first time musicians... He doesn't pigeonhole himself into a set tempo. He's all over the place! It's quite thrilling to listen to someone take a mid-tempo song and create urgency and speed through the vocals and melodies rather than the drums and bass. 'Cupid's Got A Brand New Gun' is the second ballad on the disc and highlights Penn's interesting vocal arrangements. His complicated structures are showcased here. This track has highly intense lyrics. It's a profound description of love. You could easily find your personal state of mind in this track. He so aptly describes the surrender each person experiences during love.
'Big House' floats in with a country twang then settles into a rock number with some transitions happening on a third count. I think this is a great track and I could see a number of different bands covering it successfully. It's fantastic! 'Battle Room' is a different number once again highlighting his versatility. It's a slower tune, but it doesn't settle into a ballad. I find the lyrics on this one interesting as well... Hiding highly charged emotional scenes away from public view. This is a complicated songwriter with a wide vision. He's able to draw from a variety of situations for his subject matter. I find that quality in a songwriter compelling and interesting.
The final number is 'Evenfall' and although from the title and it's position on the disc, you might expect a quiet outro of sorts, the track is lively and features some unusual instruments. It features a horn arrangement I'd associate with older rockabilly bands from the 50's and 60's. It's a blast at the end of a dynamic bit of music.
After finally listening to the record, I'm surprised Penn didn't do much better than he did. His insightful lyrics, unusual composition style and daring musical approach makes him someone to pay attention to and follow. I've sense bought other albums and I've enjoyed them as well. My final words: MARCH YOURSELF TO THE NEAREST WEBSITE AND BUY THIS GEM. IF YOU ALREADY OWN IT, PULL IT OUT AND LISTEN AGAIN.
MICHAEL PENN - MARCH
01. No Myth
02. Half Harvest
03. This & That
04. Brave New World
05. Innocent One
06. Disney's A Snow Cone/Bedlam Boys
07. Invisible
08. Cupid's Got A Brand New Gun
09. Big House
10. Battle Room
11. Evenfall
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