Dear Mark J. Mulcahy, I Love You
Author Nick Hornby included a song by Mark Mulcahy in his 2002 book *31 Songs*, a collection of essays on tunes that carry a particular emotional impact for him. Included alongside tracks by the likes of Springsteen, Dylan, and Patti Smith was Mulcahy’s “Hey Self-Defeater.” After a brief, clandestine affair with semi-fame in the ‘80s and ‘90s with his superb band Miracle Legion, Mulcahy continues to make music that reaches somewhat limited circles, which is a shame. He’s one of the best songwriters around today, admired by the likes of Michael Stipe, Mark Eitzel, and Thom Yorke. It’s his music that speaks loudest, and on this—Mulcahy’s fourth full-length album since the late ‘90s and the first since his wife\'s tragic death in 2008—the artist shows his range and skill with stunning confidence. The see-sawing acoustic guitars and cooing backup singers on the opening “I Taketh Away” and the vehement “Where’s the Indifference Now?” (a song about the public spectacle surrounding Heath Ledger’s death) bookend nine more superb and uniquely American tunes.
Given the death of his wife in 2008 and his subsequent focus on his family in favor of public work, it would be understandable if onetime Miracle Legion frontman Mark Mulcahy’s first full album in almost a decade was calm and somber. But Dear Mark J. Mulcahy I Love You is marked by its bright, easygoing, and often upbeat spirit.
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[xrr rating=3.25/5]Mark Mulcahy and his band Miracle Legion made a small splash on the college rock scene back in the 1980s.