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Reviews of “My Life of Crime” (Powder Burn, 2003) |
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Hoboken, NJ’s most valuable export since Sinatra serves up an archly catchy collection of bubblegoth with lyrical barbs fit for Noel Coward and musical hooks fit for the Beatles...From techno-country (“Crush”) to Gypsy grunge (“I’m Your Girl”) to pure ear ambrosia (“Buried”), you owe yourself a listen to the indie queen of meta-pop’s latest morph. —Adam McGovern, Yahoo Internet Life
First, you notice the voice: fluttery and supple. Second, you notice the songs: canny and smart. Third, you notice how consistently strong and musical this set is from stem (“About You,” as perfect a song about romantic indecision as has been written) to stern (“My Life of Crime,” a guarded confession of guilt). Without remorse or reserve, Farley paints herself nakedly on canvasses that are, like one of her song titles, “Strange & Wonderful.” —Parke Puterbaugh, Sound & Vision
Brimming with consistently powerful songs that come in the form of dramatic pop-rock, quiet but edgy ballads and a few novelty tunes, [My Life of Crime] is more confident and concise than her debut, Daddy’s Little Girl. Farley brings a rock urgency to her new record without sacrificing the quirky personal observations that made her mostly acoustic debut unique, [suggesting] a more thought-provoking Belinda Carlisle or a more down-to-earth Tori Amos. With Farley proving on this record that she is the complete package as a performer and songwriter, one can’t help but wonder if the honchos at the big record companies will ever wake up and take notice. —Ben Horowitz, The Newark Sunday Star Ledger
Cleary, the “life of crime” referred to in the title is something less felonious but more destructive to the psyche, and therein lies Farley’s power. Deceptively sunny, these songs are rife with emotional scars and self-deprecation, best swallowed with a spoonful of sugar; any bitter aftertaste is vanquished when the next piece of ear candy comes along. Even the goofy “Crush” (with electric guitar and “all-around loopiness” by MVP James Mastro) betrays a seriousness at the core, an obsession with the confessional that is different from the current singer/songwriter hierarchy more by what’s missing that what’s there. What is here is lovely, melodic songs with dark underpinnings, arranged in a spartan style and featuring Farley’s plaintive vocals. Therapeutic yet unpretentious, these songs are earnest, enjoyable diary entries from a writer unafraid of her own strengths as well as weaknesses. —Larry O. Dean, Amplifier Magazine
“Strange & Wonderful” (on My Life of Crime) is perfect, and “For You To Do That” and “My Life of Crime” have that wonderful ‘60s vibe, yet sound current...like Britney meets Lulu and gets her ass kicked. —Tom Haynes, WNTI, Hackettstown, NJ
Half a decade passed between Mary Ann Farley’s 1997 debut, Daddy’s Little Girl, and her sophomore album, My Life of Crime. In an ideal world, Farley—who is among the more intriguing female singer/songwriters on the East Coast—would have been coming out with a new album every year, or at least every other year. But if her aim was to take her time and get everything right, she accomplished her goal: My Life of Crime lives up the high standards of its predecessor...The worst thing one can say about My Life of Crime is that it isn’t long enough; [it’s] only 37 minutes, skimpy by CD standards. But then, 37 minutes of excellence is certainly preferable to 70 minutes of mediocrity. —Alex Henderson, The All Music Guide to Rock
Farley is a wonderful storyteller, and whether she is backed by full-band playing lush arrangements or simple guitar strums, there’s an appeal to her albums which falls somewhere between the angst-ridden worldly Alanis Morrissette and the innocence of an eyelash-fluttering country gal. There’s a hint of cabaret-noire to her haunting folk-pop, which goes a long way towards separating her from her musical peers. A refreshing change from the current indie and commercial wave of skate rock from the American contintent. —Stu Olds, Deliveryman Music Ezine, Manchester, U.K.
Heavy on melody and sheen, Mary Ann Farley muses waifishly and rants about social ills over spartan piano grooves and punchy band arrangements. —(Hoard) The Village Voice, New York, NY
(Review of live show at the Living Room, NYC) It's in such a setting -- dark, indistinct, dredged -- that Mary Ann Farley animates her exquisitely pained work. Fiercely independent and a perfectionist to her hard coiled core, Mary Ann is uncompromising in a life of compromises; her songs give no ground in their gravely-precise explorations of mood and mind. Her writing is spare and hard to spot, as if carved from air. If she were a playwright she'd be a Beckett or a Pinter, illuminating grand moments with small gestures and leaving the audience to divine the details. There are stories in her music, but they are private ones; her characters show but don't tell. We meet them instead in their pondering aftermaths, musing brokenly about what has gone before and how it got them here. —Linus Gelber, Music Dish, New York, NY
With the glut of female (sub)urban singer/songwriters, it is increasingly difficult to hear something fresh and engaging. With My Life of Crime, Mary Ann Farley takes a serious swing at rising above the scrum. Her melodies are engaging and her lyrics, while honest, avoid reaching the tell-it-all mentality that seems to accompany too many discs of this type, that leave the listener with more discomfort than insight. —Phil Bailey, ink19.com
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