Less Is More, the 16th studio album from British progressive rock veterans Marillion may just go down as my favorite album from the band since their acknowledged masterpiece, 2004's Marbles — although not for the reasons you might expect.
As its title indicates, Less Is More is a stripped-down effort — call it Marillion's Unplugged — in which the band take eleven songs from their back catalog, and basically perform them in mostly acoustic arrangements. But here is where I have a confession to make.
There is a huge, twenty something year long gap in my knowledge of this band. I was a big fan of Marillion's first incarnation with original lead vocalist Fish back in the eighties as a sort of baby Peter Gabriel-era Genesis. But then — like so many American fans — I lost track of them, up until about three years ago.
So as far as the remade songs on Less Is More go — which I assume have to come mostly from their pre-Marbles albums — I really have no point of reference to compare this music with. For me, these are essentially brand new songs. The thing is, though, I really like what I'm hearing here.
The most notable thing about Less Is More is Steve Hogarth's voice. Stripped of the full-on electric arrangements of Marillion's usual sound, it quickly becomes apparent just how crucial of an instrument Hogarth's voice is to Marillion.
On songs like "If My Heart Were A Ball," Hogarth's vocal sounds like part scream and part aching plea, and is the one thing separating this song from what otherwise sounds like a slower take on the Doors' "Break On Through (To The Other Side)." Not that this is a bad thing...
For the most part, the mood of this album is very quiet, and to my ears at least, very late night. Songs like "Wrapped Up In Time" and especially "The Space" provoke the sort of color and shade you might hear in a smoky jazz lounge around closing time. At least until Steve Rothery's guitar and Mark Kelly's keyboards kick in. On the former, Rothery's guitar adds just the right amount of flourish, while on the latter it is Kelly's haunting piano that does the trick.
Article comments
1 - Greg Barbrick
Good review, I'm gonna have to check this one out.
2 - Tom Johnson
Glen, order yourself a copy of Unplugged At The Walls from marillion.com. If you enjoy this, you really owe it to yourelf. It's live in front of a very small audience (just a local restaurant where they were recording back in 1999, I believe) and the audience is all fans that really gets them going. I think it blows L=M away.
3 - Z
Glen, great review. I've not even heard the album though I have been following the band since the beginning. I did hear some clips over the past few weeks and from those, I am sure it is a great album. I am glad you liked Marbles which is a stunner. Many tunes and many moments from the other H-era albums are beautiful.