:: Mark Pengilly - Anothery

Mark Pengilly

It’s sad when you listen to an album and you know that the artist behind it is an unique talent but there’s something about the album that just doesn’t grab you. That’s certainly the case for Melbourne artist Mark Pengilly’s new album ‘Anothery’. Pengilly manages to conjure up amazing images with his lyrics and music but there just isn’t a track on this album that reaches out and grabs you enough to make you want to listen to the album over and over. ‘Anothery’ opens with some sweet folk music in the form of ‘Vanessa’ and by the time you hear ‘No Fun… It Ended’ you realise that these songs would have been a hit on the 1960/70s American acoustic rock circuit. One of the strongest things that Pengilly has going for him though is his amazing voice which shines through on ‘The Child In Man.’ Tracks like ‘Horse Riding’, ‘Heartwashed’, ‘Three Hard Things’ and ‘You Tell Me’ sum up the general feel of the album, a floaty summer feel that allows you to daydream on a hot day. Pengilly’s other major talent comes out on ‘Storm For Me’ and ‘Says He’, both songs have beautifully written lyrics; the latter even telling a story that Paul Kelly would be proud of. The most exciting tracks on ‘Anothery’ are the more upbeat ‘My Lover’s Travel’ and ‘Just A Storeman Packer’ which is brought to life with the use of the electric guitar. ‘Anothery’ shows that Mark Pengilly has the potential to be an amazing musician, and I’m sure one day he’ll pen an album that will be greatly recognised. But for now I could only recommend this album to the serious acoustic or folk lover.