CD Review: Mark Sinnis – The Night's Last Tomorrow

As satisfying as last year’s darkly compelling ‘A Southern Tale’ this album relaxes in some comfort. Sinnis has achieved a type of decisive bleakness here which means he can do it almost softly, as the Gothic and Country influences melt lazily or hazily together. Where ‘A Southern Tale’ seemed a closeted collection, as though recorded indoors secretively, trying to keep something out and thoughts locked in, this album seems bathed in cool light, as though recorded outdoors. Never maudlin, while definitely moving on from glass-half-empty to gargling-poison-dismissively, it takes dark moods and lightens the load while you listen.

‘The Night's Last Tomorrow’ is a wonderfully drippy thing, the delicate balance seemingly suspended from the steel guitar, as quality lyrics also hover, Sinnis’ vocals quivering somewhat but sticking to the point in a masterful display. It lulls you completely, because in another style it could be deeply depressing but here it’s a curiously blissful opener. In the troubled ‘15 Miles To Hell's Gate’ he’s like a swashbuckling son of Johnny Cash, swaying and crooning dramatically, then we move towards an almost laconic ‘Your Past May Come Back To Haunt Me’ which unrolls a soothing red carpet beneath twisted, suspicious lyrics all demurely wrapped in a smartly delineated arrangement that harnesses past styles and modern attitudes, allowing menace to mellow. ‘Fallible Friend’ could just as easily go with some mariachi, or frisky acoustic, but it’s a plain and simple song instead, moving at a steady grim pace, like a crotchety Clint Eastwood whittling his own wooden leg. Time slows, it’s that stately. ‘Follow the Line’ is easier on the ear, lilting musically while the vocals threaten to tip over the edge, which is almost out of character in this setting. An unexpected and dignified cover of ‘Nine While Nine’ also works very well with a refined delivery.

We slide down a creepy chute during ‘The Fever’ with some queasy imagery, then skate warily over a playful lake of doubt in ‘Skeletons’ with its cunning use of organ. ‘Scars’ is odd, like an old Simon & Garfunkel melody squashed flat, a fridge over befuddled slaughter, and the traditional ‘St. James Infirmary’ is very strange as well, as befits a song so old the original creator isn’t positively known. This is a melodramatic piece of doom, where the words clash with the properly agonised mood. The protagonist’s love is dead, in the mortuary (I assume) and he’s proudly proclaiming, ‘she’ll never find another man like me.’ Well, how gallant, unless I’m missing something?

We touch down again on a softly sentimental ‘Out of Reach’, and perk up during the fabulous ‘Quiet Change’ which has a rising commercial tug about it, and then during a brilliant ‘Gloomy Sunday’ you get to see what Sinnis can do when cooped up with an unlikely task, like Roy Orbison walking down subterranean corridors, alone in the dark. Rewriting a well known song he tinkers with certain lines and while he changes the end for what must have been a personal need, at one point he actually improves a line completely and there’s not many people can do that, which may explain why on his website lyrics are referred to defiantly as poetry. ‘In Harmony’ will confuse as the churchy feel professes a quiet relief that death is approaching, as a friend, in catchy surroundings, then it all dies slowly away for good with the suitably sensitive ‘When the Light Blinds and You Follow’

A remarkably assured album this, and in many ways it must be quite funny for him, considering his punky past. I bet half his relatives are thinking, ‘he was bound to come to his senses eventually.’ Mature, melodic and at times as restful as it is haunting, this is really quite superb and as he’s releasing an album ever year you wonder when he’ll peak, because this is still just the ascent.

-- Mick Mercer | April 2010 (click here for original posting)

CD Review: Mark Sinnis – A Southern Tale

I’m not sure the ‘cemetery and western’ tag connected to his work strictly suits Sinnis on this showing, because there’s nothing grim or destitute about the worldview. It’s more astute cynicism, or questions. ‘It’s The End, But There’s No Heaven’ sets the tone. I’m not sure telling people they may reach the pearly gates only to discover there’s nothing there make sense. What would the gates be doing there? Strings saw, steel guitar shines, and the vocals wag their censorious fingers. Bummer.

‘Down Beneath’ is sweet with soulfully twittering violin, although the person singing may well be dead, and the naked and helpful warnings throughout ‘Turn Another Page’ surely optimistic in their own way. Vocals, guitar embers, then a comforting piano usher in hope, banishing melancholia, although I’ll grant these songs are best listened to when you wish to be alone with your own thoughts, or need someone else voicing some of them.

‘I Still Miss Someone’ is a cool, respectful cover of a Cash number, ‘To Feel Your Passion, Gone’s The Sorrow’ is apparently inspired by Beethoven’s Pathetique and, let’s be honest, what the fuck is that? It’s slow to the point of being tedious, to be honest, so although stuffed full of feeling it didn’t do anything for me. I felt I’d been kidnapped by a manic depressive. ‘Mind Melt’ also wrings its hands like a campanologist with some compulsive disorder but I’m sure in a different mood I would welcome the tragedy, when the glass isn’t half empty but lodged in my skull. ‘Follow Me’ comes from Camelot (yes, I googled) and I’m glad Lynda hasn’t noticed me playing this or she might think she’s succeeded in steering me onto sentimental twoddle. It’s a lovely, uplifting song, which is just as well as Mark’s take on ‘A Christmas Song’ would have Santa topping himself with ‘God rest ye merry gentleman let nothing you dismay,’ delivered as though trapped in an underground cell.

‘A Southern Tale’ is a soft travelogue through living, local nostalgia, and ‘Scenes Of Your Reality’ beautiful in its crouched position. ‘In Vain’ is alone in its seclusion and ‘There’s No Rhyme Or Reason’ takes us back to where we started with the news that all we can d is make of the best of what we have to be going on with, as there’s no going back and no going anywhere else.

It’s a special record, and while it’s one which you can’t easily imagine playing regularly, for specific occasions it will be perfect, presenting as it does the intimacies of mortality.

-- Mick Mercer | May 2009 (click here for original web posting)

CD Review: Mark Sinnis – A Southern Tale

From an outsider's view, Gothic Rock and Country Music have always seemed to be polar opposites. 

Dig a little deeper into the history of Gothic Rock and you’ll find acts that take the darker edge of the “American Spirit” and present it as something frightening and disturbing.  Fields of the Nephilim, Eighteen Horsepower, and heck even early tracks by The Cramps took the darker side of down home music and made it a beautifully frightening art form.  If we look at the late Johnny Cash - the man in black himself, we have more than enough brooding angst to fill a dozen splintered oak barrels.

Mark Sinnis is one of the recent rare bronze and silver set vocal gems to hit the dark rock music scene.  His vocal style is often described as “Cemetery & Western”.  In listening to "A Southern Tale" it’s as deeply moving and lilting as any Romantigoth act with imagery that pulls ghostly love lost with undead creepiness all with a beautifully plucked and strummed country acoustic guitar.  If you’re a fan of dark romance with eerie edges,  dig this crooner up. 

--Gothic Beauty Magazine | June 2009 

There is a sheen, a patina of "gothic americana" to Mark Sinnis' recording "A Southern Tale".The artwork, the style might lead you to expect something dark, dirty. In this case you're going to find yourself in the wrong territory.
Beyond the basic, traditional instrumentation (guitar, voice, violin) Sinnis has little in common with the the grim, often alcohol-fuel, apoclyptic stylings of gothic americana artists.

He's more somber, melancholy... but that just emphasizes the wistful and *hopeful* tone of his lyrics. There is a niceness here, if you will. The production is crisp, uncluttered... hell, it's -clean-. You can hear obvious elements of sixties country on these tunes but the real genre that this album falls into is sixties folk pop: sincere, spare yet lovely. Something that you could play for your grandparents.

This is a sweet, often touching collection of singer-song writer music. But fans of gothic americana might find something too gentle in this "Southern Tale".

--Sepia Chord Music | May 2009 (click here for original web posting)

CD Review: Mark Sinnis – Into an Unhidden Future

While a good deal of us are familiar with murder ballads, alt-folk and the like, “cemetery & western” was a new term to me until I heard Mark Sinnis’ new album. With an extensive resume within and beyond the New York underground, here we see him venture out into fresh territory with this noir landscape of songs. While the melodies are able to stand on their own, it’s easy to understand why critics have touted his vocal ability, comparing Sinnis to some of our best vocalists current and late. Neither over-sung nor muddled, the sound of "Into An Unhidden Future" is a unique experience.

--Gothic Beauty Magazine | December 2008

CD Review: Mark Sinnis – Into an Unhidden Future

Taken at face value, ‘Into an Unhidden Future’ is an unquestionably fine country album offering from Mark Sinnis - a veteran of the New York music scene. Setting it apart from other generic western albums, however, is the gorgeous, gothic undertones that plague each of the album’s nineteen songs - something not done so well since Johnny Cash’s ‘American Recordings’ series. Sinnis’ enigmatic vocal incorporates the gritty hostility of Cash as well as the refined power of REM’s Michael Stipe culminating in an album of integrity and depth.

Years of endeavour have rewarded Sinnis with an enviable talent for producing lyrics of resonance and ferocity. He writes with an inspiring sense of confidence on this record and messages of significance can be found in each of the wonderfully-arranged compositions. In ‘Waiting For The Train’ he shares feelings of despair and his desperate longing to be saved (Nightime, and I’m waiting for your call / I don’t care about the future, I see nothing there at all / I look back and wonder, wonder what for? / Don’t think about tomorrow there’s nothing there for me).

A true master of emotive performance, Sinnis pummels his way through the beautiful ‘When The Sun Bows To The Moon’ highlighting a need for inner-strength in the face of personal adversity (Light, it falls down on my face / And it fills the frown / That I can’t replace / It holds me tight and it won’t let go / But you cannot fear what you can’t control).

‘Into an Unhidden Future’ is a demanding LP offering from Mark Sinnis, one that - by bravely fusing both Americana and Gothic influences - looks set to deservedly win scores of new fans across the country.Taken at face value, ‘Into an Unhidden Future’ is an unquestionably fine country album offering from Mark Sinnis - a veteran of the New York music scene. Setting it apart from other generic western albums, however, is the gorgeous, gothic undertones that plague each of the album’s nineteen songs - something not done so well since Johnny Cash’s ‘American Recordings’ series. Sinnis’ enigmatic vocal incorporates the gritty hostility of Cash as well as the refined power of REM’s Michael Stipe culminating in an album of integrity and depth.

Years of endeavour have rewarded Sinnis with an enviable talent for producing lyrics of resonance and ferocity. He writes with an inspiring sense of confidence on this record and messages of significance can be found in each of the wonderfully-arranged compositions. In ‘Waiting For The Train’ he shares feelings of despair and his desperate longing to be saved (Nightime, and I’m waiting for your call / I don’t care about the future, I see nothing there at all / I look back and wonder, wonder what for? / Don’t think about tomorrow there’s nothing there for me).

A true master of emotive performance, Sinnis pummels his way through the beautiful ‘When The Sun Bows To The Moon’ highlighting a need for inner-strength in the face of personal adversity (Light, it falls down on my face / And it fills the frown / That I can’t replace / It holds me tight and it won’t let go / But you cannot fear what you can’t control).

‘Into an Unhidden Future’ is a demanding LP offering from Mark Sinnis, one that - by bravely fusing both Americana and Gothic influences - looks set to deservedly win scores of new fans across the country.

---Rebel Spirit Music | July 2008

CD Review: Mark Sinnis – Into an Unhidden Future

Mark Sinnis, the former leader of the Apostates and current leader of Ninth House, has released his first solo album, featuring 20 years of greatest misses, songs that didn’t work for either of his bands. It’s called Into and Unhidden Future, also the name of one of the multitude of songs on the album.

I wish I could get a handle on this guy. I feel like something’s missing from my understanding. Sinnis’ debut solo album is 19 songs long – 19! – Though the cowboy goth Ninth House released a full-length just last year, and he’s their songwriter. Boy’s got a lot to say, I guess. A complete set of lyrics resides on poetrypoem.com, and there are like a shitload of songs. But, within all this material, is Sinnis saying something? I think so. The first line of the album is “nine times seven is sixty-three, there’s nothing wrong; it was meant to be, aerosol, I’ll figure it out by myself.”

I can see the math being a Dylanesque joke, but not in line one of song one. Placed thusly, it’s got to be significant, but how? The man’s band is Ninth House; could they have produced 7 albums and 63 songs? Was Sinnis born in ’63? Is this some oblique reference to the assassination of JFK? Lenny Molotov appears on the album, and he writes songs about JFK…

“Aerosol”’s wordy mouthful of a chorus, “you’re lost I found it/can’t convince me I was saying…I’m inside, I’m lying here/I saw you, are you yourself?” suggests intellect and lyrical intent, but I haven’t quite decoded it. What I have decoded is the value of Sinnis’ singing; it’s great. His voice is clear, strong, flexible and subtle. These are minimal acoustic numbers (though a plethora of guests other than Molotov make appearances).

The website for Ninth House explains their name: The ninth of twelve houses in astrology focuses on higher learning and the ability to extend our minds. This house holds clues to our spiritual growth, and is commonly referred to as the House of Philosophy. The Ninth House reminds us that we are on a voyage of self-discovery, and concerns itself with the search for wisdom and knowledge. The Ninth House represents our lifelong struggle to find out what we believe about the world, God, man and life… Pretty new agey. Posters for shows and venues suggest that there’s a horror rock connection, and his voice sounds like psychobilly isn’t too far in his past.

Among this score of songs are some pretty impressive tracks. My favorite: “When the Sun Bows to the Moon,” with a rhythmic multi-instrumental track that rhymes more than most of the release, and sounds simply beautiful. With lines like, “What’s less is more/crawl into/when the sun bows to the moon,” I think he’s most interested in painting a picture, combining the poetic with the mundane. In “Waiting for the Train,” Sinnis presents rich emotional delivery while detailing redundancy: “Follow me, release me through the blackened night/take the train through the blackened night/I’m waiting for, waiting for the train, waiting for the train, yea.” This is another track where Sinnis eschews traditional rhyme schemes. There is a consistent scansion throughout the album, but few actual rhymes. “I don’t like when things rhyme too much,” Sinnis explained, “because then it sounds contrived.”

Another train song, “It Takes Me Home,” seems to reference lots of country and folk trops. Home is the other side, you see, on a train that’s sixteen coaches long. “I like a lot of old school country,” stated Sinnis.

“That’s Why I Won’t Love You” presents the aching hurt of the narrator, but it’s almost a spiritual act, where he refuses to get emotionally involved with anything. True story? Sinnis said, “99% of my lyrics are autobiographical. I write about my life. Everything has been a personal experience. It keeps it honest.”

“You can still say something deep and profound and have it be intelligent without dumbing it down. I want songs to be a little bit of a riddle.”

Mission accomplished, Sir. I don’t think I understand what makes this Mark Sinnis guy tick, just yet, but I’m gonna keep trying.

---Urban Folk | May 2008 (click here for original web posting - scroll to page 31)

Mark Sinnis is the front man for the band Ninth House, Into An Unhidden Future is his solo project that came out after the latest Ninth House album, Realize and it's Gone (or maybe it was right before, I can't remember), I've been following Mark and Ninth House for a few years now, the one thing I can say with 100% certainty is that Mark Sinnis is one of those few true musicians, I think if he wasn't writing and making music he would cease to exist, I'm sure he has a life outside of music, I'm just saying this is what he was born to do.

If you go to listen to the album looking for something like Ninth House then you might be a little disappointed, Into An Unhidden Future is a completely different animal, this album is a little bit John Meyer and a little bit Johnny Cash, it's not as dark as I thought it would be though, it's more along the lines of what I would expect from a indie singer song writer, but then again that's what he is, right?

All in all this is a pretty good album, I liked listening to the album, I mean, there wasn't a song that I thought was horrible, they were all pretty good. I'm a big fan of Mark's music, song writing ability and his band Ninth House. When I heard he was putting out a solo album I was a little bit apprehensive about buying the album, but he delivered a kick ass album worth listening to. So...go listen to it.

---Lithium Radio | 2008  

CD Review: Mark Sinnis – Into an Unhidden Future

The debut solo album from the ominous Ninth House singer/bassist is a remarkably stark, terse collection of mostly acoustic songs including a small handful he’s played with the band. Sinnis proves he’s one of this era’s great Americana song stylists: he can croon with anyone. Vocally, this is an unabashedly romantic album, even given the bitter intensity of many of the songs. Most of them are simply Sinnis’ acoustic guitar and vocals, sometimes sparsely embellished with simple, eerily reverberating electric guitar lines from Brunch of the Living Dead’s Sara Landeau as well as gospel-tinged piano by Ninth House keyboardist Matt Dundas, violin from Susan Mitchell and lapsteel by Lenny Molotov. This is a kinder, gentler Mark Sinnis, a worthy substitute for anyone who misses Nick Cave since he went off to do his hard rock thing with Grinderman.

Sinnis’ dark, rich baritone is a potent instrument, whether roaring over the tumult of Ninth House or delivering with considerably more subtlety as he does here. Johnny Cash is the obvious influence, but there are also tinges of Roy Orbison on the understatedly bitter That’s Why I Won’t Love You, and even Elvis Presley circa His Hand in Mine on the austere ballad The Choice I Found in Fate. Sinnis’ lyrics are crystalline and polished: he doesn’t waste words; his melodies are deceptively simple and run through your head when you least expect them. Some highlights from the nineteen (!) songs on the cd: the haunting Five Days, a bitter look at how the hours are wasted on dayjob drudgery; the Carl Perkins-inflected It Takes Me Home, a long, slow, death-obsessed ride; the rousing Passing Time, a warning to anyone not aware that they should seize the day while it lasts; the Nashville gothic The Room Filled Beyond Your Door, featuring some impressively countrystyle guitar from Ninth House lead player Anti Dave; and a stripped-down version of the anguished Ninth House classic, Put a Stake Right Through It featuring some truly scary playing by Molotov. The production is beautifully uncluttered, obviously influenced by Cash’s Rick Rubin albums. This cd works on so many levels: as singer-songwriter album, as sultry country crooner album (get this for your girlfriend, or someone you would like to be your girlfriend), as well as a fascinating look at an unexpected side of one of today’s finest songwriters. CDs are available in better records stores, online and at shows.

---Lucid Culture | February 2008 (Click here for original web posting)

Ninth House Frontman Mark Sinnis Releases Solo Debut

New York, NY (PRWEB) February 27, 2008 -- Mark Sinnis, long-time singer/songwriter for New York city's underground "cemetery western" band Ninth House, has released his highly-anticipated 19-song solo debut, "Into an Unhidden Future" through his own label 9th Recordings and Seattle-based SINister Records. Inspired by overwhelmingly positive NYC crowd response to his acoustic renditions of Ninth House tunes at increasingly frequent solo shows, Sinnis began writing new songs as well as re-recording some Ninth House tracks in early 2007 -- his sights set firmly on bringing his music to a wider and less subculture audience. While remaining true to his "urban gothic" roots, Sinnis incorporates more of a traditional brooding country vibe on this release. Largely comprised of dusty yet melodic ballads fueled by heartbreak and whiskey, "Into an Unhidden Future" has already been appropriately dubbed "something of a cross between Ian Curtis and Johnny Cash" (Trifecta Shows NYC).

Stand-out tracks on "Into an Unhidden Future" include the rousing and defiant boot-stomper "Aerosol" (which some die-hard fans will remember from an early Ninth House demo) and simple melancholic gems like "It Takes Me Home" and "That's Why I Won't Love You." Sinnis' captivating baritone is highlighted by a talented backdrop of guest artists, including Ninth House bandmates Matthew Dundas on piano and The Anti-Dave (also of the post-industrial band, Bile) on guitar. Also appearing on the CD are NYC guitarist Sara Landau, Lenny Molotov on lap steel, and Susan Mitchell who provides the mesmeric addition of cello and violin. The release was co-produced by Eric Enjem of Echometrics Entertainment, who was instrumental in helping capture the stripped-down "live" vibe of Sinnis' songs.

The release of Into an Unhidden Future will be celebrated with an official CD release event on Sunday, March 16, 2008, at the Court of Lazarus in New York City. The CD is now available for purchase directly from SINister Records at www.sinisterrecords.com, major online music retailers such as CD Baby and Amazon.com, and is coming soon to digital download retailers such as iTunes and Napster.

Mark Sinnis frequently plays live shows throughout the tri-state area - a list of upcoming shows is updated regularly on his MySpace site (www.myspace.com/MarkSinnis).

---PRWEB | February 2008 (click here for original web posting)