Customer Reviews

The Glory Of Man Is Not In Vogue

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Like some exotic spa bath, "The Glory of Man..." is a stimulating mix of creaminess and grit. Mudville have managed to create a vibe that pulses and throbs with real vitality and a whole lotta sweet soul, thanks to the absolutely sensuous, yet absolutely butch sounds emanating from singer Marilyn Carino. The songs here are full of life. While lyrically a bit impressionistic, they're all about hope and lust and color and a slap in the face to apathy. The sound is a clever mix of samples and live tracks, and the excellence of the musicianship and use of instruments such as standup bass, trumpet and piano makes it sound like a jazz record from some funky future. I was desperately looking for something different and genuinely GOOD. "The Glory of Man..." really turned me on.

Like all the best music, Mudville takes several listens to really be appreciated. It's definitely downtempo, and wouldn't sound out of place next to a trip-hop band, but it's way more intense and interesting to experience. Its electronic, its jazz and its blues and Marilyn Carino's voice swoops over and into you - great stuff.

The reviewer who described Mudville as "creaminess and grit" had it cold. The songs on this CD are both lyrically beautiful and sonically intriguing, more so with repeated listens. There's really nothing like it. Trip-hoppers will surely relate, but this ain't no fluffy, boring-ass trip-hop. My favorite track is "Othello", a cautionary tale with a dark, syncopated groove. Mudville is intimate, sultry and grown-up, this CD was obviously made by people with a lot of experience playing actual music on real instruments. Check it out.

I really like this music. I'm usually more about hip-hop but I'm really getting into this girl's words! "Poets on Parade" doesn't know it but is a righteous rap. "The Hero of the World" made me listen and sway. Producer Ben Rubin puts it all in a lovely world. I'd like to hear "Blown" remixed with a bit more drive, it could be even sexier. The girl Marilyn Carino sings like the open ocean - check out "Pray" and try not to shiver.

I stumbled upon Mudville at a show in New York and was incredibly surprised by how moved I was listening to them. I bought the CD and can't get it off the player. Marilyn Carino's voice is tough and haunting and the beats and sounds are both forward and retro at the same time. I like this music for a solitary evening, not so much for chilling but for getting deeply lost in one's own thoughts.

Mudville ventures into many musical worlds on this CD, they visit rock, jazz, hip-hop, soundscape electronica, blues and soul and the snow-globe souvenir they bring back is from nowhere but their own polyglot island. The first track, "The Hero of the World", sounds like Al Green's diabolical twin, especially as sung with the provocative voice of Marilyn Carino. Carino is the glue here, her interpretations are earnest and striking (kind of like a more absurdist Fiona Apple) and bring a haunting, but substantial depth to the wide-ranging material. My favorites are the aforementioned "Hero", the funky, sexy "Blown" and the ever-unfolding "Pray" (a Bollywood-style remix of this on their website blew me away!). The songs are cool and animated and they linger, working beautifully as an "album" played beginning to end. But it's the voice that grabs you and resonates, it aches and breathes angelic and devilish all at once.