MP4: Days Since a Lost Time Accident

Michael Penn

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 1, 2000)
• Original Release Date: February 1, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00004C4MI
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #168,067 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
If Michael Penn sometimes can't seem to decide which of his musical talents (singer-songwriter, musician-arranger, perspective-minded producer) to focus on, it's a dilemma that's produced a compelling slice-of-résumé here. And though his pop sensibility is sometimes reminiscent of Matthew Sweet and other history-conscious peers, there's a reserve to Penn's productions that subtly underscores lyrics as sharp of tongue as they are of eye. Typically bleak, if playfully so ("I got loaded in a hearse when all I needed was a nurse," he observes on "Lucky One"), the singer can't help but lay the truth on you even while he's busy concocting just the right musical cocktail to help wash it down. This is Penn's sometimes bleak world-view, be it personal or objective, set to dry productions that can still somehow recall Spector one instant, mournful Delta blues the next, crucially without being slave to either. Cheer up, Penn seems to be advising here, the news may be bad, but the music doesn't have to be. -Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beatlesque Bliss, February 7, 2000

By	"beatpoet79" (Pennsylvania USA) - See all my reviews

Michael Penn has been creating brilliant pop music for a decade now (albeit one that included a 5 year sabbatical), and his new release does not disappoint. Like all Michael Penn albums, it takes a couple listens to really absorb (his music has never been restricted to the transient fashions of time)--but it is all the more rewarding for it.

MP4 is more comparable to the relatively challenging "psychedelic folk" of Free-for-All, which followed the relatively straightforward pop of March--just as this release follows the accessible Resigned. But the melodies still stick in your head--"Lucky One" and "High Time" are destined to become classics; although nothing stands out like "All That That Implies" or "Bedlam Boys," there's plenty of "Free Time" and "Strange Season" to admire. Still catchy and addictive and ingenious and intelligent.

Why can't we hear stuff like this on the radio? Maybe this album will get enough recognition to bring March and Free-for-All back in print, so everyone can appreciate the full spectrum of Penn's genius. As it is, this is a worthy addition to his canon, and I can't wait for the next one!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Triumph For Pop Music Fans Everywhere!, April 3, 2000

By	Michael K. Hall "ubikpkd" (Gresham, OR USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Please excuse my hyperbole! Sometimes we are swayed by our first exposure to an artist, and perhaps I'm fortunate to have heard all 4 of M. Penn's albums on the same day, one after the other, and cannot share the sentiments of long time fans who seem disheartened by their favorite artists latest disappointing album.

Put all of those comments aside and buy this one. Penn is a terrific pop singer songwriter and one that deserves radio play! My initial favorite of his 4 albums was Resigned (produced by the terrific Brendan O'Brien), and my least favorite was his first (March - with apologies to his longtime fans), but the more I listened to MP4, the more I'm convinced this is his best, by a wide margin. 10 songs -- 6 or 7 classics (with Lucky One, Whole Truth, High Time, Beautiful and Perfect Candidate coming immediately to mind). Great lyrics, catchy harmonies, terrific guitar work, outstanding support from Patrick Warren and Victor Indrizzo, and a nod to Brendan on Lucky One (how come he didn't produce the whole album?)

Please, Michael, don't make us wait 4 more years for the next CD!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars an excellent songwriter, March 19, 2001

By	Christopher Ingalls (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Michael Penn has been suffering from the one-hit wonder stigma ever since his 1990 hit "No Myth" failed to yield a follow-up. But like other fine, talented songwriters who rely more on critical acclaim than Top 40 hits (Marshall Crenshaw, Richard Thompson), Michael keeps putting out consistently great albums, albeit few and far between.

I actually picked up "MP4" for free (it was a promo copy from the music store where I work), but I'm glad I did. The songs are wonderful, and the production lush and intimate. My favorite song so far is "Lucky One," but I'm sure I'll love the whole disc soon enough. Michael is a terrific songwriter and "MP4" is a great album.