When Mark is moonlighting on her Room-Mates, she finds the time to be Neko's Corn Sister, but when she splits from Case, Neko must take the lion's share of the "alt-", because Mark sure has plenty "country" to spare. Nevertheless, it's easy to see strong similarities between these two, particularly in vocal delivery, though Mark largely eschews Case's smoky, dusky drama, opting instead for a worn-in, down-home sound that can be very ingratiating. She warmly invites you into her home, though she readily admits to being a Terrible Hostess for an intimate evening with a few close friends. It gets a little rowdy here and there as the tempo picks up, everyone has few laughs, there's some quiet reflection, and in the end, a good time is had by all.
Now, as I've said, occasionally the dinner party atmosphere comes close to becoming a full-fledged hoedown, as on tracks like "Fuzzy Slippers", or the worst offender, "After Bar Party", and I'd be lying if I pretended that it didn't impair my enjoyment of this album. That said, though, there's evident quality lurking within even these tracks. After all, just because they taste like grits to me (and I hate grits) doesn't mean they aren't delicious to those that have a taste for them. The musicianship is extremely tight on these fast-paced numbers, and they're effortlessly infused with Mark's charmingly wry sense of humor, which goes a long way to pulling them off.
Still, I'm happy to say that the largest part of this album is spent on slower, more seemingly personal numbers; unhurried sweet-and-sour gems like "Gopherville" or "Port Moody" really allow Mark's innate charm to shine through. Her unforced (but still powerful) voice gives these tracks a very meaningful air; like fond recollection of past happiness, they're at once thankful for the memories, but regret that those times won't come around again. If that sounds depressing, don't fret-- the bottom line of the multi-layered emotion within these songs is always an undeniable optimism. And it's Mark's voice alone that conveys such complexity; the arrangements are well-played, but sparse-- there's typically just enough music to serve as a suitable backdrop.
So I suppose Mark's party really is pretty entertaining. If you don't mind your alt-country heavy on the country, there ought to be plenty to keep you there well into the wee hours. If you're a rock 'n' roller kinda kid like me, though, that's probably not going to be the case. But regardless, I'd recommend dropping by anyway-- just be fashionably late and plan on leaving early.
