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Artist: Marillion
Label: MVDaudio
Length: 10 tracks/52:07
The band:
Steve (h) Hogarth - Vocals
Steve Rothery - Guitar
Mark Kelly - Keyboards
Pete Trewavas - Bass
Ian Mosley - Drums
The music of this five-piece
band from Aylesbury, England is often about intangibles, epiphanies and
revelations found amongst the drudgery of living everyday life. Each song
is like a city seen at night, all sparkling light and shadows around every
corner. It’s light and mystery, truth and consequences, possibilities and
uncertainties. Measured out in equal
parts guitar and keyboards,
shrouded in vocals and tempered with the steady and adventurous rhythm
section of bass and drums. Marillion is a band like not many others. ‘Cause
at the center of what they do and have always done is a big, beating heart
exploring the mysteries of human existence. It’s music meant to be felt,
not merely heard.
The album Somewhere Else is Marillion’s fourteenth album. It covers many topics that are very relevant in this day and age. Topics like keeping your sense of wonder in a consumerist world (‘See it Like a Baby’), reflection over the whole rock star trip (‘Somewhere Else’), taking inspiration from and remembering people from the past (‘A Voice from the Past’), investing too much in material goods (‘Most Toys’), a response to the rape of the Earth (‘The Last Century for Man’) and what helps us all get through it (‘Faith’).
The song ‘Faith’ is a highlight. Here are some lyrics from Steve Hogarth:
What I have here in my handMy only two real critical points I have of this album is although the sentiment of ‘Most Toys’ is appropriate to these times and meaningful...”he who dies with the most toys is still dead”...I think the song, which clocks in at under three minutes, would be better suited as a b-side because I think it is a bit too loud and obnoxious when compared to the rest of
is knowledge without proof
What I have here in my hand
This is what I feel for youIt’s why the Earth is alive
It makes electricity work
And fire dance in the sky.
the album and I think it also interferes with the flow of the album. Generally I like it when the band rocks like they do in this song, but this song is not the best example of this side of the band. I applaud them for mixing it up though like this. My second critical point is in regards to the production. Although I think producer Michael Hunter does a commendable job with the knob twisting, I wish the band would invest in a deeper, richer sound that can bring out the nuances of their music better. The rich production sound of the latest Rush album Snakes & Arrows is what I have in mind. Marillion’s music, I think, could really benefit from a deeper, richer production and I think it deserves it!
Marillion has a history of
high quality four and five star albums in their arsenal, namely Misplaced
Childhood, Clutching At Straws, Seasons End, Brave,
Afraid of Sunlight, and the sprawling 2 CD effort Marbles.
Somewhere Else feels like a direct response to the Marbles
album and it’s more trimmed down, less layered and more direct. Because
of this
result, Somewhere Else
seems at first take, like it’s possibly Marillion’s most slight album.
But like all their albums, multiple listens are required to unveil all
that’s on offer. Highlights include ‘The Other Half’ which seems to be
about the cycle of death and birth. Steve Rothery’s end guitar solo on
this track is sensational. The first ‘single’ off the album, ‘See It Like
a Baby’ is also a highlight along with the title track, ‘A Voice from the
Past,’ ‘The Wound’ and ‘Faith,’ In my opinion, Marillion doesn’t have any
albums that rank under three out of five stars or in this case,tocks.
I rank Somewhere Else
a solid .
Chris Barlow
June 18th, 2007