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Various Artists - Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy
| Pitchfork |
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Ah, you're back. Did you go on a four-hour Super Mario Kart and Mountain Dew binge? Yeah, me too. "Hey Sandy" is better known as the theme song from "The Adventures of Pete & Pete", and Polaris was Mulcahy's band, a spin-off from his earlier band, Miracle Legion. Since the glory days of "Pete & Pete", he's also put out a few micro-run solo records and has co-written a couple of musicals. But that all still doesn't explain why Mulcahy's catalog would get the starpower treatment, and sadly, the reason lies less with his music than with his personal tragedy. A year ago, Mulcahy's wife Melissa died suddenly, leaving the singer-songwriter to raise twin three-year-old daughters alone. Thus, Ciao My Shining Star is both a tribute and a kind of collective patronage for Mulcahy's career, intended to give him the funds carry on as both single father and musician....full text |
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| Bbc |
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Mark Mulcahy has never enjoyed the recognition he deserves in the UK. Through the Miracle Legion, Polaris and his solo work, he has built up an impressive body of largely ignored material. The proceeds from Ciao My Shining Star, an album featuring alt-rock superstars covering his work, are to help him bring up his twin daughters following the sudden death of his wife, Melissa, in 2008. It’s clear to see the regard in which Mulcahy is held by his peers through a glance at the album’s cast list. You get Vic Chesnutt, Frank Turner and Elvis Perkins – but to have Thom Yorke, Michael Stipe, Frank Black, The National and Mercury Rev involved underlines his worth more prominently. And there are 20 additional performances to download....full text |
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| Thelineofbestfit |
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Thom Yorke once described Mark Mulcahy’s voice as the most beautiful he had ever heard. J Mascis and Joey Santiago contributed tracks to his last solo album In Pursuit Of Your Happiness. His solo albums and work with first Miracle Legion and then Polaris garnered critical acclaim across the board. And yet, for some reason, the man himself has never really enjoyed the recognition his songwriting deserves here in the UK. A little over a year ago, Mark Mulcahy’s wife died suddenly of cancer, leaving Mulcahy to take care of their twin three year old daughters and the micro record label they set up together to release his records. Unbeknown to Mulcahy himself a group of artists began to put together a tribute record in order to raise money for his family and to aid him in continuing his musical career. It was not until work on the project was quite a way down the line that Mulcahy became involved in the project. By the time it was over over 40 artists had submitted tracks, with 21 making it onto the CD and the other 19 to be released as digital downloads. The list of artists involved: The National, Thom Yorke, Michael Stipe, Dinosaur Jr and Frank Black just goes to show in what high regard Mulcahy is held by his peers. These are not merely knocked out cover versions either- each artist appears to have taken Mulcahy’s often intensely personal work and given it their own unique take. As such you have Frank Black unleashing his trademark yelp and guitar scrawl on a pounding ‘Bill Jocko’, Dinosaur Jr slacking out, Vic Chesnutt delivering a haunting version of ‘Little Man’ and Fountain of Wayne’s Chris Collingwood jangling and bahbahbah-ing through ‘Cookie Jar’. Credit too to Frank Turner, who manages to bring out the dark humour of ‘The Quiet One’....full text |
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