David Marx might have his roots in punk, but he's evolved into a much more complex proposition these days. As a multi-faceted musician and individual, he comes in from all angles at once. While the album's title might suggest some ultra-leftist slogan-merchant, a Billy Bragg for the new millennium, the pictures in the CD booklet feature some moody poses and you could be forgiven for expecting Richard Marx. He's got the haircut, that's for sure. Never judge a CD by its cover or creator's name is the lesson to be learned here.
'Revulsion [In the Name of Love]' slams in with the cabaret sleaze ratcheted up to eleven and comes on like Foetus circa 'Bedrock' or Marc Almond's 'Flesh Volcano' project. There's no stopping for breath before the schizoid psychobilly rock-out that is 'Fellatio NRA.' Imagine The Screaming Blue Messiahs with bigger, fuzzier guitars and a saxophonist wired into the mains against his will (and if you're unfamiliar with the Screaming Blue Messiahs, I'd strongly recommend checking out 'Gunshy'). The fact that said saxophonist is Anthony Thistlethwaite of Waterboys fame is quite something.
It would be hard to sustain such an assault, and the pace does slow a little for the songs that follow: 'White Trees' sounds strangely like The Housemartins, only cool, and 'In My Time of Dying,' 'Forever' and 'Last Tuesday' are similarly jangly in tone, with the latter displaying a hint of Elvis Costello.
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'Cherries' sees Marx begin to whip things up again, screaming his way maniacally through a list of things he wants no more talk of, which include Communism, The Khymer Rouge and Burning Babies. Hardly surprising, of course, from a man who took the title for his album from a quote by Mikhail Gorbachev.
The last two tracks, 'Love Without Tears' and 'Celebrate the Cause' are segued together. In many ways, they serve to represent the two leading aspects of the album, with the first of these songs beginning as a mid-tempo soul-filled toe-tapper that churns itself into a frenzy toward the end, and the second being a rabble-rousing stomping rockout, complete with epic guitar breaks. It's a fitting conclusion to a satisfying, diverse collection of songs.
http://www.davidmarx.co.uk/
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