MARBLES

Review Nº 904

Marillion is a British prog band formed in 1979 in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England. The band was formed under the name Silmarillion, using the title of JRR Tolkien's literary work. They shortened their name to Marillion due to the legal rights. Their career is divided into two phases, separated by the departure of Fish and the arrival of Hogarth. In Fish's era, Marillion released four studio albums, "Script For A Jester's Tear", "Fugazi", "Misplaced Childhood" and "Clutching At Straws". In Hogath's era, until the album that I'm going to review now "Marbles", Marillion released eight studio albums, "Seasons End", "Holidays In Eden", "Brave", "Afraid Of Sunlight", "This Strange Engine", "Radiation", "Marillion.com" and "Anoraknophobia", already reviewed by me on Progarchives, with the exception of the last three.

So, "Marbles" is the thirteenth studio album of Marillion and was released in 2004. The line up on the album is Steve Hogarth (vocals, hammered dulcimer and guitar), Steve Rothery (guitar and bass), Mark Kelly (keyboards), Pete Trewavas (bass and acoustic guitar) and Ian Mosley (drums). It also had the participation of Carrie Tree (vocals).

With "Marbles", Marillion has finally found their new identity and delivered an excellent body of work. "Marbles" is a bit like "Brave", which was probably the most appreciated release by this line up to date. The music on "Marbles" is softer and more atmospheric than on their Fish's era works, almost spacey in parts, elegant and relaxing. The impeccable rhythm section is omnipresent but never in the way. Some songs are very approachable and a few are radio-friendly. But, despite those occasional pop overtones, each piece contributes significantly to the overall opus and you'll find this very cohesive work starts out sounding good, and improves with each listening. It's more like a journey than an album.

"Marbles" has fifteen tracks. "The Invisible Man" is an epic track with 13 minutes. This is an excellent track where Rothery, along with Kelly, let loose to take us into a beautiful masterpiece. It hasn't got the biggest hooks, but it's an impressive piece. "Marbles I" is the first of the "Marbles" tracks, they're just four shorter tracks serving as interludes between tracks. "Genie" is an obscure pretty good song. It's one of the positive sounding tracks with a slightly poppy feeling. This is an underrated track on the album. "Fantastic Place" is a beautiful piece with a fine guitar and a very well constructed orchestration, with an emotional ending that awakens even a feeling of joy. This is one of the best ballads they've ever written. "The Only Unforgivable Thing" is a quiet track and I would even say it's quite trippy with the guitar and keyboard effects after the chorus. As a whole, the song is very beautiful. "Marbles II" is the second "Marbles" interlude. It's more intense than "Marbles I" that does crescendo as we delve more into the track. "Ocean Cloud" is another epic track with almost eighteen minutes, the lengthiest of all, which gives the feeling of being watching a film with the imaginative power that it awakens in the listener. "Marbles III" is another small, intimate and almost acoustic interlude track that makes the connection with the following track. "The Damage" is one of the strongest tracks on the album, a breath of fresh air on the album. This is a track that sounds quite different from the usual Marillon's sound but that they manage to make it work very well. "Don't Hurt Yourself" is a good listen song, an upbeat if slightly forgettable song in comparison to some of the others on the album. "You're Gone" is driven by a poppy, electronic drum beat and follows a straightforward structure. I really like it and it's a popular live song. "Don't Hurt Yourself" and "You're Gone" are examples of pop music that is very accessible, but at the same time of great quality. "Angelina" is a radio-friendly track, very nice to hear and that will be another key to the band's wider acceptance by the new generations. "Drilling Holes" is one of Marillion's trippiest tracks. It has a more psychedelic vein where the biggest highlights are the keyboard works. "Marbles IV" closes the sort of suite "Marbles" ending exactly as "Marbles I" has started. "Neverland" is another epic, a very beautiful and emotional track. This is an amazing song from the start to the final climactic finish.

Conclusion: I'm one of those Marillion's fans who prefers Fish's era. When they released their EP "Market Square Heroes" and especially "Script For A Jester's Tear", it was a blessing for all Genesis' fans starved of that type of music. When Hogarth took over, the band changed, and I didn't like them as much as I did before, as happened with many of the fans of that era. However, with "Marbles" I changed my opinion. It isn't as good as "Script For A Jester's Tear" and especially "Misplaced Childhood", but it's clearly Marillion's best studio work since "Clutching At Straws". So, with "Marbles", the band released their most significant album since "Brave", being for many and where I include myself, the best work in Hogarth's era. Basically everything they can offer the best and was shown in previous works is possible to be found in "Marbles", an eclectic mix of styles in a moment of creativity and inspiration where some highlights, all tracks have something to offer. It makes "Marbles" an album easily appreciated from beginning to end.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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