Customer Reviews

Mp4: Days Since a Lost Time Accident

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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!

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.

This is a terrific collection of songs from a great songwriter. A bit poppier than "Resigned", but much more straight-ahead, with much of the overproduction of Penn's first two cd's winnowed away. Penn's recent appearance in Philly with Aimee Mann was really good, and if you get a chance to see these two, you won't be disappointed. Highlights are "Lucky One," "Whole Truth," "Trampoline,"...it's just a great record. One thing I took away from seeing Penn live,as well as his cd's, is how great a guitarist this guy is. His acoustic playing is exemplary, but what really sets him apart is the ability to play short, biting electric leads that not only are totally unembarrasing, but actually add to the melodic translation of the song. Amazing. If instantly memorable, well written Beatlesque pop songs are your cup of tea, this is for you.

It's unfortunate that we probably consider 3 stars an underwhelming review, when it's really pretty good--a B+, say. I don't have Penn's other albums so I can't put this one in context like the other reviewers. I like Penn's aesthetic, his gift for classic pop melodies and peerless arrangements. His craftsmanship is oft-remarked upon for good reason. "Lucky One" is a great lead-off track; "Perfect Candidate" demonstrates Penn's penchant for clever wordplay. The much cited "Bucket Brigade" is the most beautiful track on the record--a haunting melody married to a wonderfully crafted lyric. It really is nice to hear Penn's detached, almost ethereal voice, which seems to mix Lennon and McCartney in equal measure.

As I continue to listen the melodicism grows on me, the songs stay in my ear--good signs. But if you can understand how something might be tasteful to a fault...I can't help but wish for a sense of abandon, something to counteract the insular feel of songcraft which is almost too polished, an antidote to lyrics which, while clever, become predictable in their cleverness. The light, loss-y malaise that informs every song is too uniformly sad sack for my taste. Also predictable are the Beatle-isms cropping up throughout--augmented chords, falsettos, etc.--though he does them very well. He could use an influx of new influences! All this leads to a curious sense of inertia which I suspect is symptomatic of Penn's records. Still, the record is wonderfully proportioned in its sequencing and length. This is excellent, ear-tickling pop that I can't imagine would disappoint fans of this type of music.

Glad to see the venerable Mr. Penn, arguably the most talented American solo act in the last 11 years, didn't wait five years to release his first effort since 1997, like he did between the dark, deep "Free for All" and the simply amazing "Resigned."

MP4 harks back to the days of 'No Myth' and other songs from his debut album, 1989's "March" (one of my first CDs, acquired back when it orig. came out!), but with much tighter production values and a host of new instrumental additions, (and I think he nixed the drum machine on this one, too). Mike is much more positive in his writing here, and the tempo is noticeably more upbeat in many tracks. With back up vocals from wife Aimee Mann and Grant Lee Buffalo (both amazing vocalists in their own right), there are some truly outstanding sonic highlights on this album.

One complaint, the instruments seem to take center stage on MP4, giving Penn's distinctive voice, and, as a result, poignant lyrics, a back seat in many instances.

Overall this is a very solid effort that fills the 'upbeat' gap some might find in MP's catalogue. Get it, b/c it certainly will fill the "great american musician & lyricist" gap you may have in your collection.

Caveat: his *best* lyrical and musical gold can be found in his sweeping and more introspective songs, like "Coal" & "Slipping My Mind" on FFA and "Figment" & "Out of My Hands" on Resigned.

Enjoy! And Mike: Thanks!

Like all of Michael Penn's music, MP4 contains some of the wittiest lyrics around. This release finds him stretching out a bit musically, in a way that should garner new fans without alienating the faithful. While beatlesque references are scattered throughout, Michael Penn is unlike any other musician and this pop/rock release grows with repeated listening. MP proves once again that intelligence and wonderful songwriting are not mutually exclusive. Buy this CD and listen to it once daily for a week and you will be a fan!

The fact that this release was delayed since last July is a mystery. Penn has again crafted sweet melodies accompanied by strong, more hopeful lyrics. For those who think this is not the same Michael Penn, it is not. He is, indeed, saying lighten up and move forward.

MP4 was the next logical step in the process of his growth as a musician. While it may not haunt you years later as one review criticized, unfairly, it will inhabit your consciousness for the moment, and you will be humming long after the last note has sounded. It is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. Buy it.

I must preface this review by saying I have been at least a casual Michael Penn fan since (the sometimes maligned) Free-For-All. But each such subsequent release finds my enthusiasm growing, and MP4 has transformed me into a huge Michael Penn fan. Musically, it's "Beatlesque" in the best sense of the word. Lyrically, Penn doesn't coin a phrase as much as twist it - "Perfect Candidates'" "slate as blank as face is straight" for example. Lines like "She can read your mind cause she wrote it for you" from "Perfect Candidate" and "High Time's" "when you reach the point where you must choose between what you lost and what you stand to lose" are, to me, clever without being as cryptic as some from earlier Penn albums. I like MP4 so much, I can't figure out why Penn is not a bigger name in pop music.

There are a different types of good CDs. There are those which, upon first listen, grab a hold and won't let go. Then there's MP3. The first time I listened to this CD, I was totally underwhelmed. My feeling was that there was nothing new here, nothing that I needed to hear, or would want to hear, again. I was wrong. I gave it a few more plays, and gradually, I began to see the genious. Penn is a master of understated pop/rock. On this disk, "High Time" stands out. Upon first listen, I heard nothing, but one day, I found myself unable to get it out of my head. The anger in his voice as this mid-tempo tune builds is so poignant. And the refrain, with it's 'shoo-be-bops', will over time find it's place into your head and not let you go. I bought this CD 10 months ago, and still, rarely does it leave my car CD player.