Mudville

"Smoldering like the remnants of a fire, or maybe the beginnings of what will become a blistering blaze, (the twelve tracks on Iris Nova are) a musical force… Singer Marilyn Carino and producer Benny Cha Cha coax songs with a slow burn into well-fueled flames that produce considerable amounts of heat. Adding interest to Carino and Cha Cha’s chemistry are lyrics that are ethereal, quirky, and questioning, complementing the evocative production with ease. “Brooklyn” is a funk-rock romp that comes close to matching the grit and eclecticism of the borough of its title. The genre-blending that some musicians work so hard to achieve here seems effortless, genuine, and unique." - OKAYPLAYER.COM

"The roll call of guest musicians (on Iris Nova) is testament to the immense respect that bassist Benny “Cha Cha” Rubin and singer Marilyn Carino carry in the underground musician-scene in New York City. The duo weave fearless vocals with churning rhythms and smoking arrangements.

“Wonder Boy”‚ allows Marilyn Carino to deliver the vocal performance of a lifetime, powerful to the point of bringing you to tears. It’s a song that can rank alongside major-league acts like Radiohead, U2 or even REM for that matter. Indeed, should this stylistically and instrumentally diverse record get the initial traction on the net, it might go on to achieve similar status. For those who are getting increasingly impatient waiting on the long awaited third album from Portishead, you need to download this now. " - Will page

Marilyn Carino's sultry vocals pouring out poetic lyrics filled with imagery, set up against spooky pianos, haunting organs or subtle jazzy horns. The combo, along with some electronic loops, gives the music an other-worldly blues-jazz feel you'd hear in a lounge or in a Jim Jarmusch film. - Mary Huhn

There’s post-rock, post-punk, and now, post-trip-hop. In the hands of the smoldering vocalist Marilyn Carino and the producer, bassist, and multi-instrumentalist Ben Rubin, down-tempo beats, haunted-matinée-style organ playing, and electronic flourishes coalesce into something familiar yet wholly unique. - John Donohue

“Singer Marilyn Carino and multi-instrumentalist Ben Rubin, the prime movers of NYC's Mudville, have done plenty of genrehopping in their time. In Mudville, they've combined all these styles in an organic way, while incorporating an important new element: cool electronic atmospheres of a sort similar to what used to be called trip-hop. The Glory of Man is Not in Vogue finds the duo's sound deepened significantly... (Live), the combination of Carino's dramatic vocals - the gal has serious chops - and the band's brainy, extended improvs triggered a potent fusion of jazz and space-rock. Think Julie Driscoll fronting Brian Auger's Oblivion Express, or better yet set your inner categorizer aside and just enjoy."
- Mac Randall

Mudville is a duo: Marilyn Carino sings about troubled longings and bleak surreal visions, while Ben Rubin surrounds her melancholy voice with brooding, minor-key tracks that start with electric piano and venture into smoky, ominous lounge territory, somewhere between Fiona Apple and Morcheeba. - Jon Pareles

"As the dark electronic brood of acid jazz, trip-hop (or whatever they're calling it this third time around) comes back into favor, new groups are hard-pressed to distinguish themselves from the outfits of old (old of course being somewhere around 1996). Impressively, Mudville does just that, evoking the melancholy dirge of Portishead on the opener, "The Hero of the World" until the middle-eight reduces not to an unadorned hip-hop beat as expected, but rather a melodic piano refrain. It's a small difference, but one that is almost shocking to your ears, pre-programmed to presume the obvious, given how formulaic most downtempo is. Those same subtle nuances highlight this debut record by the duo of Ben Rubin ad Marilyn Carino, who between them have worked with artists as diverse as Neil Young & Crazy Horse bassist Billy Talbot and Killah Priest. Carino's voice maintains the somber tone of Beth Gibbons, but her range matches the bluesy swell of PJ Harvey. Air-like keyboard phrasing drives a majority of the songs, with a warbling minor key ache that fits naturally with mildly synthesized percussive clicks and whistles, and of course the steady-as-a-rock drumbeat. The unit breaks free the most on "Surfer Girls," which displays a musical breadth far greater than you would have ever imagined in the opening chords of this album, taking the funeral march some places it's never before been, the ocean." - Joshua Glazer

"Mudville's debut LP "The Glory Of Man Is Not In Vogue" snakes through esoteric rhythms and beats care of Rubin and soars with the whiskey sour illustrative harmonies of Carino. Unmistakable hits such as the opening track "Hero of the World" and the twangy early morning fog of "Surfer Girls" make Mudville an enchanting listen. "The Glory of Man is not in Vogue" is a testament to the healing powers of rhythm and should not go undiscovered." - Jay Zaretsky

Heard the album that Annie Lennox made with Daniel Lanois? No one has — it never happened. But Mudville’s The Glory of Man Is Not in Vogue (Slurry) imagines the results of such a session. Singer Marilyn Carino and keybster Ben Rubin have an Everything But the Girl vibe taking place, and their rather intimate, mildly eerie music has some gripping moments. - Jim Macnie

Marilyn Carino's quirky wail on "The Hero of the World" is plenty spirited..." - Neil Drumming