Indeed, Marillion sound no more like the baby Genesis clones they once were. Some of the prog-rock elements remain of course. Tracks like "See It Like A Baby" mine a lot of the sort of lush, romanticized sounding terrain of its earlier, proggier incarnation. But the overall sound is much more disciplined, and seems to originate more in traditional pop song construction than the wild improvisation of earlier efforts. What once could be called indulgence, has for the most part been replaced by economy.
The musical genesis (and forgive me the use of that particular word) of keyboardist MarK Kelly and guitarist Steve Rothery also remains intact. Rothery's fluid guitar runs on songs like the title track, "A Voice From The Past," and especially "The Wound" once again echo ghosts from this band's progressive past.
Some of the lyrical content here is also quite interesting. "A Voice From The Past" seems to voice the sort of alienation that comes as a direct result of loss. Likewise, that sort of pain was never made to sound like something to be embraced as on "The Wound." Musically, the song builds to a final layered section based around a simple, repetitive chord sequence, which is wrapped around a deep bass line and layered with beautiful sounding guitar and keyboard flourishes.
As a vocalist, Hogarth makes these lyrics stand out too, as he sings them with a sort of disciplined passion that stands in contrast to the vocalized theatre of former lead singer Fish. Not that the conceptualized theatre isn't still there, it has just been repackaged somewhat as modernized, romantic sounding pop. Think of Coldplay's emphasis on pop structure, with less of the whining.
Not all of this completely works. Where "The Last Century of Man" succeeds in painting a bleak picture of the future, as a political statement it somewhat exceeds its reach. It does however feature one of those washes of symphonic keyboards that will make old school prog-rock fans melt in their tracks.
I've been told by people who know these things that this album suffers from a muddy sounding production compared to other efforts. Without a proper reference point to judge, I can't say this is something I really noticed. However, I've been told by those same folks that 2004's Marbles album represents the real standard for the present incarnation of Marillion.
That said, if Marbles is indeed the band's true masterpiece, let us just say that Somewhere Else has done one hell of a job in whetting my appetite for it. Hearing Marillion all these years later in this context, has been like hearing the band for the very first time again.
Article comments
1 - Frans
Now that's a very even-handed review! So many people love automatically dismissing Marillion, but you managed to hang in there and give it an honest listen, which is refreshing! Now I'd like to see what you make of Marbles, but try to get the double disc version.
Cheers,
Frans
2 - John R
Nice review,
I'm a Marillion fan and I'm still trying to get my head around the album!
It certainly has up and down moments, but on the whole there is still the Marillion-esque lush sound that is almost a staple to their work without being repetitive.
And yes, Marbles is a truely excellent album. In my opinion one of the very best albums that I own!
3 - Hung Nguyen
My goodness, if you haven't listened to Marillion since Fish left, you got a LOT of catching up to do.... Season's End, Brave, Afraid of Sunlight, This Strange Engine are among my favorites, as well as of course Marbles. The ones I didn't list are also pretty good, but those are the highlights for me.
4 - Glen Boyd
One thing at a time Mr. Nguyen.
I plan to start with Marbles (which I just ordered -- and yes, I did go for the double disc) and work my way backward from there.
I simply had no idea these guys were still making music, and that it sounded so completely different from their earlier stuff--which good as it was, even a fan would have to admit was highly derivative of a certain other british prog-rock band with a penchant for theatrical storytelling and equally theatrical stage props.
I've read elsewhere that some fans regard "Somewhere Else" as a little bit of a disapointment, but I gotta tell ya that I was quite unexpectedly knocked out by it.
I can't wait to hear Marbles. And I imagine I'll be getting around to the rest of the catalog as well. But for now, it's one CD at a time for me.
Thanx to everyone for the comments.
-Glen
5 - Stuart
Somewhere Else is imo Marillion's best album in years, i tend to find Marbles a bit overdone. If you likes the early Marillion I'd recommend checking out some of Fish's solo stuff too, such as Vigil and Field of Crows. My recomendation if you like SwE is probably This Strange Engine in the Marillion back catalogue.
6 - Glen Boyd
I just listened to Marbles for the first time and it is one of the best records I have heard in something like ten years. Just an absolute sonic masterpiece. Thanx to all for the recommendations.
-Glen
7 - Connie Phillips
Congrats! This article has been forwarded to the Advance.net websites and Boston.com.
8 - JC Mosquito
So, Glen - what's so different about this that it's turned you around to Marillion? Or is it something in your own tastes that's changed?
9 - Glen Boyd
So I guess this technically means that I can now add The Boston Globe to my resume. How cool is that? Thanx Connie.
-Glen
10 - dumbfounded
Hello, got the link to your review from the portuguese official marillion fan club. I must say I enjoyed reading it, and as was already said, check out the other 9 albuns of the post fish era.
I'll be forwarding your review to the actual marillion site, in the UK
Cheers
11 - Vasco "Stalker"
Good work, keep it up.
cheers
12 - Tom Johnson
Great review, as usual, Glen! Glad you liked it and glad to see you're getting the 2-disc Marbles, too! I think you're in for a treat!
And dumbfounded, be sure to check out my Somewhere Else review from a couple weeks back, too.
13 - Paul Roy
Glen, if you enjoyed Marbles, check out the Marbles On The Road concert DVD from that tour. They are an incredible live band too.