Artist description This is the solo debut for Seattle songwriter and musician Mark David. David was previously known in the Cleveland area rock scene as the frontman for the high-impact pop fusion band Mr. Sensible and the outrageous synth guitar implosion Mad Money. David, who apprenticed with performance artist Laurie Anderson, has left behind some of that trademark insanity, but he holds onto enough quirkiness to impart true originality to his blend of pop and psychedlic hooks.

Music Style Pop/Rock/Experimental

Musical Influences David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Brian Eno

Similar Artists Brian Eno, David Bowie, Brian Eno

Group Members Mark David

Albums Into the Blue

Press Reviews "Into the Blue" is Golden, May 10, 2000 Reviewer: Daniel from Cleveland, OHFor those familiar with the funky, latin-spiced pop-rock of Mark David's previous outings, "Into The Blue" represents a stylistic shift that could only be pulled off by a great songwriter/musician. One big influence on the darker, more intimate shadings of this disc is it's a one-man show. David, former guitarist/vocalist/composer for Cleveland bands Mr. Sensible and Mad Money, performs all the instrumentals and vocals (with the exception of one percussion track added by ex-bandmate Frank Musarra). He also produced and mixed the project in his Seattle studio. Think of it as chamber music Mark David, backlit in blue under moody Northwestern clouds.One welcome addition to the tight arrangements is David's keyboard work, rarely recorded since his days with the Moss Band. The keyboards paint rich tonal backgrounds behind his percussive guitar, such as the swelling organ continuo on "Safe Haven" and the muted water chimes swinging through "Come Between Us." The instrumental mix is always carefully selected and concisely mixed with David's often scowling baritone vocals.This disc isn't just a studio rat's resume, though; the real star of the show is David's hook-laden music and deep vein of lyrical ore. A sneaky, plodding bass line in "Nice Girl Like You" sets up the treble-hook catchiness of the song's chorus. A simple clave rhythm and piano chords frame the video-clip brevity and soulfulness of the lines in "What Am I?" David's plaintive apology in "Please Forgive Me" and sense of hurt and betrayal in "Come Between Us" show his gift for distilling raw, honest emotion into the economical phrases evidenced throughout his 20-year-plus library of songs. But the mood picks up as the disc wraps with the simple hopefulness of "Another Sun," a Lennon-McCartney desecendant complete with Mellotron-like background tones.Be sure to pick up the included lyric sheet when listening to "Something to Hold Onto," a paean to our digital age's obsession with connections and contacts, despite their unsatisfying, near-miss substance. Also read along with "Dark Casino," a densely packed, dizzying wordplay that will transport longtime fans back to past David hip-hop patters like "Send Them Away" and "Victim of a Fad."Mark David has overturned his thesis of "Something to Hold Onto," by plugging in and communicating a digital work with an overclocked human pulse. It will reach out across the continent to old fans and new ones.

Location Seattle, WA - USA

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