The first thing that's striking about 'My Crucial Execution' is that its opener, 'Dublin' is almost seven minutes in duration. As such, this represents something of an alternative approach for Marx, whose other releases - 'Jesus Was a Socialist,' and 'Lovejunk' (his album with The Refugees) - kick off with a short, punchy, catchy and attention-grabbing opener.
'It Doesn't Pay to Be Happy' is, for the first three of its six minutes, a quiet, downbeat number with some experimental atmospherics and a mournful lone trumpet, before bursting into life. In many ways, this is representative, not of the style of the album - which is firmly rooted in good old rock 'n' roll - but of the tone and mood of the record, which has a darkness encroaching from the edges at all times. It may lack the immediacy and sparkle of Marx's other works, but this is no bad thing, revealing as it does a more reflective and introspective side and presenting him as a rounded, multi-dimensional musician, and a highly competent and eloquent lyricist.
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The lyrics are both literate and literary in their formulation: 'The Kiss' references Shakespeare, Fred Astaire and James Dean, while DH Lawrence is referenced in 'The Breath of Objection.'
As such, the combination of this lyrical depth and, at times, complexity, with the less immediate sound, results in an album that requires repeat listening and a degree of attention to be fully appreciated. Given time to bed in, it's a most rewarding record, more than a mere collection of songs, but a cohesive document that both captures and creates a mood and tone.
http://www.davidmarx.co.uk/
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