ANORAKNOPHOBIA

As a Marillion fan, this album really disappointed me. It is hardly note-worthy as a prog album, in fact, it is not very proggy at all. If it were not labeled prog I would give it a better review, because, despite the fact it is decent as a pure rock album, it is hardly amazing as prog. The album title (in case you were wondering) comes from the term "anorak" (the hoodies worn by the figures on the front cover) and the word arachnophobia. It was an odd sort of success, as it sold plenty of CDs before even being recorded. Marillion asked people to pre-order the album before they started recording it, and it was unexpectedly successful, the pre-ordered CDs containing more than the normal CD did.

It is really like "Marillion" mixed with some band like "U2", while I like U2, I would never give them a good rating based on prog, and I can't in good conscience do that to this album either. It is essentially a pop-rock album, and not an amazing pop-rock album either. The only notable song on the album is "This is the 21st Century", though it starts off with an annoying drum track. After you get past the drum track, it is really an enjoyable experience listening to the song. Steve Hogarth lays out a smooth, flowing cool rhythm to his lyrics, inflecting in the just the right places, he makes this song shine. Really, the worst part of the album was the last song, "If My Heart Were A Ball It Would Roll Uphill", I honestly think if they never put this song on the CD, I would have given it a three-star review. The song is infuriatingly annoying, and I had to literally force myself to listen to it to make this review accurate. I absolutely can't stand the last song, it is one of those songs that would make a whole album much better if it did not exist. The rest of the songs are particularly annoying, though "Map Of The World" can be catchy in spots.

I end with this, if you are a Marillion fan, you will still get some enjoyment out of Anoraknophobia. As a fan, I just enjoyed hearing another of their albums, even if it wasn't very good, but musically, this album isn't worth much. If you are looking for a good Marillion CD to start with, don't use this one, it will give you the wrong impression.