Money Mark

Mark Nishita, functionally the fourth Beastie Boy, packs a shit load of diverse and eclectic influences into his third solo LP, getting a hand from Sean Lennon and a couple of Los Lobos-ites along the way. There's funk, pop, world beat, prog and euro-pop, along with a disparate slew of film soundtrack genres that range from noir to spy movies to breezy sex farce, all mixed together and sitting cheek by jowl with each other. (In addition to working with the Beasties and Beck, Nishita has done a bunch of film score work, so he comes by the last bit honestly.) The music is smart and memorable, but MM's savviest move is to keep things briskly churning along. The LP's 12 tracks run just over 38 minutes. Many artists would mine the grooves and themes until the seams were bare, but MM wisely moves on to something new and fresh long before you're bored or satiated, following the old show biz dictum of always leaving 'em wanting more. That, I guess, means he took that title to heart.