SOMEWHERE ELSE

I hadn't heard a full Marillion album since This Strange Engine (almost a decade ago), so when I picked up Somewhere Else at the library, I was a tad curious but still wary of the group's 90's and 00's legacy. Having heard of their brave and courageous risk-taking of having the fans pre-order the Marbles album in order to record it, I have never heard it, despite some glowing reviews. Partly because it had been a longtime since I had actually liked much what I heard from the group (Brave was the last thing I cared for), and I wasn't expecting that much either from this latest album (Somewhere Else), but hoping to be pleasantly surprised, I brought it home to have a listen to it.

Surprised I certainly was!! Whether it was pleasantly is a whole different ballgame!!!! I actually had to pop out the disc from my deck to make sure this was the correct album, but such was the case, so I put it back in, and tried to remember when I last took hallucinogens. This being almost two decades ago, I ruled out a relapse, and had to convince myself that the neo-prog flagship group was trying to jump the shark (or ship) to join the alternative/indie boat. Indeed, I could've sworn that this was a Radiohead album (I know, can't really call RH indie anymore, but WTF). Never having been a Hogarth fan, I now am faced with his dreadful choice to sound like Thom Yorke, but doing a second or third class rendition of it, rendering a proper listening of the album difficult and downright painful by the end of it. While not familiar with their full discography with Hogarth in the line-up, no doubt this one ranks among the weakest with Afraid Of Sunlight, Anoraknophobia and Holidays In Eden.

Set on an urban/wildlife spectacle landscape duel artwork, it wasn't directly obvious whether there was a thematic link between the songs, and to tell you the truth, over the week it was a semi-regular rotation, I didn't care to find out. I was simply too appalled by the feeble effort developed (especially on the poor title track) throughout the album, but there is only The Last Century For Man that seems to find any kind of grace to this listener's ears. Well, the least I can say is that my return to Marillion's musical kingdom was not a very impressive one? The whole album's production seems a bit flat, with reduced dynamics and annoying sonorities, some of which are easily identifiable. In fact the album is very much reminiscent of another weakie Afraid Of Sunlight, which had followed a strong Brave effort