Marc Almond and the Willing Sinners
Mother Fist and Her Five Daughters
[Thirsty Ear; 1987; r:1998]
Rating: 7.2
Another in the series of recent Marc Almond reissues, 1987's Mother
Fist and Her Five Daughters takes its name from the short story
"Nocturnal Turnings" by Truman Capote, to whom the record is
dedicated. On this early record, Almond chooses to showcase a number
of personalities in a series of portraits. With exotic instrumentation
and colorful musical arrangements, Almond creates an impressive and
reflective record.
"Mother Fist" describes a relationship with a woman who has a mysteriously
strong hold on men. Almond uses Spanish- styled strings and rhythms
to create an air of the otherworld. "Saint Judy" is a dark and
bluesy soliloquy lamenting a woman's life within and without the
spotlight: "Champagne chilled/ And the pills well spilled/ All wide
eyes/ And overkill." "The Hustler" is a man who has seen the "darker
side of men." The song's
quiet piano and string arrangement creates a simple caricature of his
loneliness. "Melancholy Rose" is an accordion and snare drum ode to a
murderous assassin reflecting on her lovers past.
Throughout this record, Almond's strength continues to be his pierced
tenor; it seems naive yet corrupted. With it, Almond mourns and celebrates
all manner of personalities and characters featured on this record.
-Aparna Mohan, 1998