When picking out my list I wanted to try not to have any bands or artists have more than one appearance through the years, but this is the exception. Previously appearing in the 1989 post with Miracle Legion, Mark Mulcahy later went solo after they and Polaris became defunct. His first solo album, Fathering is his best to date. I found this album at a very confusing and dark time of my life and it helped me get through my problems, so each song has a special meaning to me. From the moment I pressed play and opening track, Hey Self Deafeater, started, I knew I had found something special. At that moment in time the lyrics were exactly what I had needed to hear, and I'll forever be grateful for Mulcahy writing this music, "Never mind overjoyed, just start with happy, there's no more silent nights, and no more horrid fights, just got a new place and put a thousand miles between you and your wrong impressions... Hey self defeater, you're underrated by yourself so quit looking down, and look up." Most of the album tells tales of love lost and fictional men, but it's all beautifully arranged and shows how talented of a musician Mulcahy is. Proven by the fact that Thom Yorke has admitted to Mulcahy being a large influence of his and even went as far as to dedicate a song to him at a Radiohead show in Boston. With spacious, echoing guitar riffs the song Ciao, My Shining Star eerily resembles an unreleased Jeff Buckley song as Mulcahy showcases his falsetto. The album's not as upbeat as most of his other work, but it's easily his best.
Key Tracks: Hurry Please Hurry, In the Afternoon, Bill Jocko
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