SOMEWHERE ELSE

Marillion - Somewhere Else

It took nearly 3 years for this British rock group to come up with a follow-up to their critically acclaimed "Marbles" album and let me put it like this: I won't mind aging another 3 years if that means I'll get my hand on yet another excellent Marillion album! Today I finally received my hard copy of this small jewel by post, accompanied by the promo single to the song See it like a Baby, and this meant a series of events was put into action:

First of all I made sure everyone at home knew I was not to be disturbed for the next hour or so and that serious repercussions would follow if someone still had the nerve to do so! Next, I needed to lock myself in my room and put this disc in my CD-player, thirdly I began to scavenge under the immense pile of rubbish on my desk to find my pretty decent headset, and finally I lay down on my bed with the sun shining directly in my face, put the headphones on and let the music work its magic on me...

Now, this is the first listening of this album for me, at least... when it comes down to a decent quality version of the music. For I already heard the whole album at an exclusive listening party in Amsterdam this February. And let me tell you, even on the crappy installation they had at the listening party (probably done on purpose so nobody would even consider attempting to tape the stuff), most of the new album impressed me first time round!

Maybe the most surprising element of this album is its production; producer Mike Hunter seems to have managed to give the band a fresh and modern sound, which is quite the opposite of the dark and warm sound that Dave Meegan achieved on "Marbles". Not that I dislike Meegan's work on "Marbles"; this new sound is just so. well. different. and I like it! People have compared it to the 'live' sound of the band and it sounds indeed far more dynamic than any of the other recordings. What's rather curious is that each time I listen to "Somewhere Else" I cannot help but think that perhaps if Mike Hunter produced Marillion's 1998 album "Radiation", that album would have been more successful... For the songs on this album have the sound I always imagined that the band would have loved for the songs on "Radiation". The songs included here have this really psychedelic yet modern feel to them.

It took me a while to fully enjoy those songs though, but there were two instant faves: the title track Somewhere Else and the atmospheric No such Thing. The first is an instant new era Marillion classic, combining elements of the epic Ocean Cloud and the airy Neverland tracks, but dipped in a sauce of This is the 21st Century's electronics, whereas the latter instantly made me think of the Black Sabbath song "Planet Caravan", mainly because of the effect that's used on the vocals.

After what seems like an infinite amount of listens to a leaked promotional version of the album (yeah, I know what a bad thing to do... but I already ordered the album by then) , gradually the other songs began to grow on me, which seems to be a tendency that's continued over each Marillion disc. But it wasn't until this very afternoon that I fully comprehended the sheer beauty of this disc. Each and every song is not what they at first might appear to be. They aren't lengthy... they aren't overly complex... yet they aren't exactly radio friendly either... Yet on first listen it might appear that Marillion have gone in a more or less modern rock direction with "Somewhere Else", but in a while the listener will discover that this is just trademark Marillion with all those classic elements, but just for the first time in their career they've fully progressed into the 21st Century...

Excellent guitar rock, the occasional subtle drum computer, the nice string arrangements in the backgrounds, and the lovely live sound of the instruments . suddenly all the pieces come together and the puzzle's complete: this is Marillion's sound for the future!

Fugazi. Clutching At Straws. Afraid Of Sunlight. Now, Somewhere Else. What these discs have in common is they were given the unenviable task of following up what is considered classics and/ masterpieces. Fans may have thought Marillion were on the decline until they experienced new life with Anoraknophobia, and the now instant classic Marbles. Although Somewhere Else may be somewhere in the middle of the road when Marillion's body of work is reviewed years from now, it will be considered a strong entry for the group.

I have to say that I was a bit skeptical before I received my copy due to a lackluster review on DPRP; however, any skepticism was washed away inside of 10 seconds of the first track entitled "The Other Half". Whereas Marbles started off with the slow pulse of "The Invisible Man", Marillion charges out of the gate with the signature drum pattern of Mosley. Puncuated with a razor sharp solo from Rothers, it's the perfect choice to lead off Somewhere Else.

"See It Like A Baby" is the albums first single and has a bit more of the classic Marillion characteristics over Marbles first single "You're Gone". Instead of drum loops we have a jazzy guitar/drum combo and Trewavas' steady bass during the verses before a speeding jet goes flashing by...but it's not a jet but Rothery's guitar bridging the verse and adding a nice touch to the chorus. Rothers especially shines on this track as the solo could be one of his finest on the album.

Next is the very Beatle-esque "Thankyou Whoever You Are". Not exactly a favorite of mine as the lyrics seem a bit forced and sluggish. Mosley's drumming isn't very inventive on this tune either as some of it is reminiscent of "The Invisible Man". Not a bad tune, but just doesn't stick out.

If the previous track sounded lazy, "Most Toys" gives it a roundhouse kick to the adam's apple and proceeds to give us an all out assault. It reminds me a lot of Radiation's "The Answering Machine" because it's short, but not very sweet...and I mean that in a positive sends. Trewavas and Mosley really anchor this monster as h jumps up on his soapbox (which he does quite frequently on Somewhere Else). In all honesty, I like this song more than I thought I would.

One thing is crystal clear, and that is h is making a statement on the condition of the world today; however, as outspoken as he is about current events, he's not afraid to expose his vulnerabilities. The title track "Somewhere Else" is a song written during the breakup of his marriage-very emotive lyrics that shows h's very human side and pain. As tender as the song his, Rothers' grungy guitar really fits the mood as it's almost David Gilmour-ish. One of the albums highlights and harkens back to the pain of something off "Afraid Of Sunlight".

A big surprise for me is "A Voice From The Past". I wonder if it's leftover from the Marbles sessions as it would fit in nicely. Mark Kelly's hypnotic piano sort of reminds me of the keys prior to the 'blue pain' section of "This Strange Engine", and the song has another excellent solo from Rothery. Not a very long solo, but he packs a huge statement in a short amount of time. Another favorite of mine from this disc.

"No Such Thing" concerned me after reading the reviews on DPRP's website; however, I actually like the song with it's space out, distorted vocals. Much like a lot of the album, this song is another socially and politically conscious thought of h's set to music. I'm not a huge fan of mixing politics and music, but alongside Rothery's eerie guitar and the moodiness of Mosley's drums, it's still a worthy addition to the album.

No spaciness or subtleties for "The Wound". Classic Mosley drum fill with Kelly's piano accompanying it, the band literally explodes is an absolute fury. This song is a perfect example of what Marillion are capable of when they put their heads down and give an all out assault on the senses. This or "The Other Half" would be perfect show openers on the new tour.

The momentum is somewhat lost when "The Last Centry For Man" slides in. Not bad, but not a favorite of mine as it's sort of sluggish in feel as h plays Nostradamus and predicts that we're in our last century. Maybe he's right, but I wish the song made more of a statement.

With Marbles, I'm always floored with the majestic "Neverland" as the albums closer. We don't have that on Somewhere Else, but "Faith" still works very well as a closer. A song that's been in the bag for a while, I'm pretty familiar with it and I may have even touched upon it in my review of the Before First Light DVD.

To summarize, I don't know if this will be mentioned alongside the other Marillion classics when all is said and done with. What this band has given us, however, is solid music that is still relevant in today's music world. There's not as much progressive elements in their recent material as there was for the first half of their career, but I do hear flashes every now and then. Also, I don't want to hear how Rothery is missing from Marillion's current music because he's blistering your ears throughout Somewhere Else. As for the disc, I probably should've waited for a few more listens before writing a review as my view changes somewhat over the course of time. My initial thoughts are that Marillion are still capable of raising the bar and meeting the next challenge. I think they've done a fine job with Somewhere Else.

A strong 3.75 to 4 stars out of 5

Odd release by the veterans here.

And after having listened to this one for some hours, I'm not impressed either. In my ears, the sound here is most often flat and lifeless - no textures to the soundscapes, too much monotony.

Lots of good work if you're into details here of course, mood sounds jumping out from guitar and synths, the slightly jazz-inspired drumming, the mellow guitars being given more umph in certain sections to provide some drama and tension, the synths used to create subtle musical backdrops as well as providing mood effects.

But the songs most often come across as an anonymous version of what Radiohead did a decade ago in my ears; the impression strengthened by Hogarths vocal delivery on most tracks.

One standout track in my opinion though: "No Such Thing". Lots of cliches there, but also one of the few songs with mood and atmosphere that makes it interesting.

Marillion takes us somewhere else...

In 2004, Marillion released one of their strongest albums in years with Marbles. The album relied more on atmosphere and was rather mellow in comparison to its predecessor Anoraknophobia. In 2007, they bring us Somewhere Else, which stylistically is somewhere in the middle of the rockiness of Anoraknophobia and the relaxing atmospheres of Marbles. It can be said quite easily that this isn't the Marillion of old trying to rehash old ideas and call it an album. No, this album is quite different from its previous albums and shows the band going into a different direction musically. This album focuses more on songwriting and melodies rather than creating long pieces and trying to be considered "progressive" (a term that the band tries to steer clear of, despite their obvious affiliation to the term). In the end, this collection of songs is filled with catchy hooks, opinionated and meaningful lyrics, and a general focus that drives the album along through its 50 or so minutes of playing time.

Songs like The Other Half and Most Toys are rocking pieces that really show how the band can write faster numbers (the first one is one of my favorites on the album and from first listen it really showed me that this album would be something enjoyable), while the middle pieces like Somewhere Else and Voice From the Past take the listener through more atmospheric and gentle atmospheres. H's vocals aren't as good as on previous albums, but he still manages to perform well even if his voice is showing aging (not unlike Fish, whose voice has completely changed over time). The album also takes a political stance with songs like The Last Century For Man, which has an oblique lyrical theme and a chorus that has sarcasm and sincerity all in one fell swoop. The concluding piece to the album, Faith, has been played by the band for many years prior to the release of this album, and it's gentle acoustics and fragile vocal performance from Hogarth really act as a fitting conclusion to the album.

Musically, the band is more focused on songwriting than soloing at this point. Rothery still cuts loose on a few key moments on the album, but his playing is more restrained and focused on creating stellar atmospheres (something he's always be quite proficient at). Mark Kelly also has a prominent role on this album, his quirky keyboards often compliment Rothery's guitar work quite well and add another impressionable element to the music. The rhythm unit of Mosley and Trewavas don't let up either, both offer well conceived and integral performances at just the right time. In all, instrumentally this album is a perfect example of a band working as a team in trying to create cohesive and melodic/catchy songs. In this department, Marillion rarely fails.

In conclusion, Somewhere Else isn't the masterpiece Marillion fans were hoping for after nearly 3 years of waiting. It's filled with some great moments, but at the same time one can't help but feel somewhat underwhelmed by some of the songs presented. Sure, Most Toys might be a fine song, but in the context of the album, it could have been more fleshed out and might have used a bit more refinement (in my opinion, at least). It's also a bit disheartening seeing that there are no truly "progressive" pieces on the album (unlike Marbles, which had a fair share of stellar prog songs), but in spite of that, Marillion have created something here that has enough substance and style to satisfy any fan of the band (with Hogarth, Fish purists will probably not find much to enjoy with this album). I'd rate it somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars, so I'll round it up to a deserved 4/5

I had limited expectations of this album, following the amazing "Marbles", and I am so very relieved that I was proven wrong-- "Somewhere Else" is the only Marillion album that could ever hope to follow-up such a masterpiece... and, in it's own way, actually come close to matching it. "Somewhere Else" is excellent!

Trimming things down a bit, the band has created an outstanding set of songs with the similar tone/style which made "Marbles" what it was. Their playing is so professional and natural that every note oozes emotion, in a laid-back, thinking-adult manner. The songs are-- of course-- a mixture of the uplifting and saddening, with h and Rothery delivering some of their best melodies ever. Guitar solos, which are few but stellar, are very simple and powerful, and fit nicely in the textural framework created by the rhythm section. Kelly creates some of his best atmospheres ever, and I was especially impressed by the drumming of the often overlooked Ian Mosely.

But, no Marillion review would be complete without talking about h's vocals, which cut to the core like none other. His performances are just getting better and better, and I am far from embarrassed to say that I am moved regularly by his singing.

"Somewhere Else" stands by the band's best (honestly!), and is perfect for new comers and lone-time fans alike.

Songwriting: 4 Instrumental Performances: 3 Lyrics/Vocals: 4 Style/Emotion/Replay: 4

Somehow Less (attractive) .

This time I did not pre order the album like the one I did with "Marbles" in 2004. So, my name is definitely not printed in the booklet. It's okay. It's because I was a bit disappointed with promise broken on Marbles where the music was just delivered 100 minutes instead of 120 minutes as it was said during advertising of the album. So I did not want to repeat a mistake. My decision is definitely RIGHT. This album is just going nowhere. Nope! It's not a bad album at all, but it's completely a boring one to enjoy in its entirety! Guaranteed, you will fall asleep listening to this album after track 4. There are basically no ups and downs in the musical expression of the band. Come on, Mr. Hogarth, what has happened to you? Wake up and make much better music! Where is my "Drilling Hole"? You do not deliver any song as great as "Drilling Hole" or "Neverland" or "Invisible Man" this time and I'm a bit disappointed. The music is just so flat and so boring .

Through this album Marillion has been stagnant in their music approach and style which is very close to the Anoraknophobia album, even less attractive, I would say. The overall tone of the album has failed to stir my emotion and I tend to fall asleep enjoying this album. I have spun the album more than eight times and I still cannot get the music. Yeah, there are some interesting stuffs but there are no "soul" at all. It seems like I enjoy light pop music. There is no great interlude or interesting musical segments to enjoy. Steve Rothery's guitar solo is quite minimum and also Mark Kelly's keyboard work. There is an interesting jazzy shoot at the opening track "The Other Half" (4:24) but it's not really catchy. It's good for a break. And then what?

"See It Like A Baby" is also too poppy but nothing is so special compared to previous album's pop song "You're Gone". In fact, I cannot find catchy track like "Don't Hurt Yourself" (Marbles) in this album. "Somewhere Else" is good but again it does not demonstrate any energy or drive at all. "No Such Thing" is truly a boring track. "The Last Century For Man" is trying to keep up with "Neverland" kind of music but it does not reach an expected level at all.

Overall, I would rate this album as 2.25 stars out of 5. It's probably good for those who enjoy Anoraknophobia album but it's not good for those who want to compare with "Marbes" or "Brave". I would think twice to order the next 15th album that the band has planned to release June 2008. I will only purchase the album after I listen to the music from friends first. I don't want to be disappointed .. again. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Well, by excluding the old derivatives album in the vein of Peter Gabriel with Genesis (the Fish era I mean...), I think of the peek of creativity represented by their best concept album entitled "Brave", as well as to such good performances within the recent emotional "Marbles"...obviously if you're a fan of this hybrid music stuff in between the neo pop progressive of the nineties and the melancholic alternative rock nowadays, this latter music genre anyway being more shifted to pop rock, you could be indifferent; but actually such mentioned remarkable albums stand alone as the unique original episodes of a controversial career (remember the recent disappointing "Anoraknophobia" for instance or their usual albums focused on the vocals by S. Hogarth,being very "pop rock"- oriented). Therefore Marillion have arranged them in an elegant manner, but adding anything new or particular fresh in comparison for example to the mainstream approach of similar experimental pop rock bands in the USA (do you remember the recent albums by Echolyn or those ones by a few US bands like that??...). Anyway at the end you can find some remarkable chorus (like within "Last Century For Man" or once again within the controversial "Most Toys", characterized by some rough melodic lines), but their effort is a little bit pretentious. Also "No Such thing" is not a bad song, with its psychedelic mood and perhaps it's the most orginal track of the album along with "The Wound" , this latter being quite fascinating after all!

So if you have appreciated "Afraid of Sunlight" you can't stay far away from the present "S.Else", even though the folky number of the last track doesn't represent the conclusive epic number you should expect; nevertheless it could be an easier way to make the recent issue by Marillion split from the general mediocrity of modern mainstream nowadays...

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

I guess that at this time of their career, there is nothing SPECIAL to expect form a Marillion Mark II studio release.

I guess that we'll get the same uninspired, insipid, dull vocals.

I guess that we'll get the same uniform and flavourless music.

I guess that lots of Marillion Mark II will cherish and praise this work.

I guess that I won't cherish and praise this work.

I guess that I'll end it up with a two-star rating.

I guess that, here and there I will like a song or two (maybe three ?).

My guess was right, I guess.

Oh yes. About the good songs. Well, the opener is not bad. It mixes different genre of music and at least it is not monotonuous. It's been a while since the band didn't please me as much ("This Strange Engine" probably). Rothery will play some great notes. The mood is rather optimistic (at least, I perceived it that way).

The rock ballad "Thank You WhoeverYou Are" is a very nice track : catchy melody and more than anything, it features a great guitar solo. But we all know how well Rothery can do that. I have said several times during this long Marillion (both Marks) reviewing process (39 works including this one) that he has saved the band several times with his great guitar play.

"Wound" sounds somewhat "Holiday In Eden ". It might be considered as another one of the few interesting songs of this album. It breaks the general mood with the usual rock / soft dual parts. Even hard at times. The beat is there and Rothery is again rather convincing in his guitar play.

Now, for the core of this album, we'll the usual stuff here : attempt to rock with "Most Toys", some ballads or ambient music (of which the acoustic "Faith" is not too bad) but mostly not appealing at all like "Somewhere Else" (dreaful), "See It Like A Baby", or "No Such Thing" (I bet you !). The dull Hogarth tone of voice at his max.

I saw a Marillion Mark II concert in December 2005 and could compare to the "Misplaced" Fish tour in April 2006. I can tell you, there are no comparison AT ALL. While Fish is communicative, a great showman, funny and so diverse in his vocals, the Hogarth man is introverted, absent, dull and so uniform in his vocals. I can't help. But this is my feeling and I felt like this almost instantly while the earthquake of the Fish departure took place.

Two stars.

Surprisingly good!

I heard some terrible things about "Somewhere Else". I've never been much excited about H's MARILLION (except for "Seasons End"), but recently discovered "Afraid of Sunlight" has shortly become my favourite of the week! So I decided to give "Somewhere Else" a chance ;)

Don't sure if MARILLION really needs these hit singles and high positions in Top-100. I heard about their ambitious efforts, and I must admit, first half of the album works very well for me. Memorable hooks, cool tunes, modern sound (this COLDPLAY vibe in "See it like a Baby"), even ROCK in "Most Toys"! Unfortunately after seeing the pals who make such a nice modern music any teenager would think like "would these fat oldies serve as a role-model for me? Hell no, I choose Eminem!". Then MARILLION suddenly loses IT, and side B sounds bleak and boring (my favourite word for H's era ;) ). Only few songs, few bits from them touch me...but even though, it all equals 3 stars in my book - surprisingly good and enjoyable album as for H's post-"Brave" MARILLION. Do I need to check "Marbles"? Guess so...

I had a feeling I was really going to like this one. Most of the negative reviews describe this as lacklustre and boring, which is also the way they descibe bands I love like FRAKTAL, BAUER and GAZPACHO. And yes this has some great atmosphere to it at times just like those bands. I like what they say in the liner notes "Thankyou for buying this cd, whoever you are. Anoraks Rule.Turn the cities into families. Make poverty history". Amen guys. Actually it's the lyrics in these songs that probably impress me the most about this recording, and they do do some preaching about saving our planet.

"The Other Half" has such a great sounding intro as they start things off perfectly. A calm 2 minutes in with piano, light drums and bass. Then Rothery offers up a tasteful solo as emotional vocals follow. Great section. More good guitar 3 1/2 minutes in. "See It Like A Baby" features reserved vocals as bass and percussion stand out. The song does get more passionate, and check out the almost mournful guitar solo before 3 1/2 minuites. Another excellent tune. "Thankyou, Whoever You Are" opens with piano but the focus is on the vocals on this one. A laid back guitar solo before 4 minutes from Rothery. "Most Toys" is a fun, catchy track with meaningful lyrics.

"Somewhere Else" is mellow with some cool atmosphere to it. Hogarth shines in an understated way. Atmospheric guitar 4 minuites in. This is so emotional, then 6 1/2 minutes in the emotion just pours out of the band. "Voice From The Past" features more atmosphere and is also laid back. Check out the lyrics to this one. Hogarth cries "Dead but alive". This is a powerful, meaningful tune. Rothery's guitar comes bursting in like tears down his face. "No Such Thing" opens with processed vocals and a cool guitar line. Drums follow. The lyrics seem sarcastic to me because I think they are true. Love this track. "The Wounds" has more brilliant lyrics, perhaps the best of the lot. A powerful song in many ways. "The Last Century Man" is a biting song lyrically that is really a wake up call to us all. It's all about the lyrics on this one. "Faith" is mainly acoustic guitar and fragile vocals. We do get some french horn before 4 minutes though.

A very mature effort from these guys, and a worthy follow up to "Marbles".

The confirmation of Marillion's return to form!

After the wonderful Marbles, they achieved to release another fine album, full with good songs, and clearly surpasing albums like Radiation. The style of Somewhere Else follows the path of Marbles, mixing the alternative influence the band acquired through the 90's, mixing them with some typical neo-prog sounds, and adding some new textures and ideas. The album is not very surprising... If you've heard Marbles, then Somewhere Else will not surprise you. But with this bunch of good songs, this fact is not really important.

The record opens with the best track Marillion has made in the last years... The Other Half deserves a golden place in Marillion's discography in my opinion. Wonderful lyrics, and an incredible final Rothery's guitar solo. I just love this track... See It Like a Baby is a good single, 100 % Marbles's Marillion. Sadly, Thank You Whoever You Are is just and Ok track, a bit weak and with a repetitive chorus... Fortunately, it has another great Rothery's solo in the middle section. This man rules in the whole album...

Most Toys take back the style of the Brave's rock songs... A funny track, but nothing in comparision with the following Somewhere Else. Very emotional lyrics, marvellous guitar layers and an in crescendo final part. Another awesome track... And almost so good is A Voice From the Past, with some good orchestral arrangements, with Mark Kelly's protagonism. No Such Thing is a bit strange... Is not the typical sentimentally slow Marillion track. It's different, and I like it. I specially enjoy the guitar melodies, and although this track is not really memorable, it provides variety.

But The Wound is another highlight... The beginning is a inspired rock punch, with catchy lyrics. But then, suddenly appears a great neo-prog section, having this song an awsome ending. Wonderful! The Last Century for Man is not so outstanding... But it's still a decent track, although the Hogarth's lyrics are a bit vain. Then comes Faith, to close this album brilliantly. It remembers me to Made Again from Brave... It's acoustic, the lyrics are about love, and the mood is similar. Proper ending for a very worthy album.

Best Tracks: The Other Half, See it Like a Baby, Somewhere Else, The Wound and Faith.

Conclusion: another good Marillion album. Maybe it's a kind of dissappointment after the masterful Marbles, but it's the quality of the music is undeniable. Of course, it is not in my top five Marillion's list... But it can be easily compared in terms of quality to albums like This Strange Engine. Somewhere Else is deep, is variated and it has some songs wich deserves to be Marillion's classics (The Other Half, Somewhere Else and The Wound...). Really good, and strongly recommended for Hogarth's Marillion followers.

My rating: ***

"I am with you all the time now... One soul. One mind. One heart. The other half can not be parted... From the other half".

This is Marillion's weakest album in quite a while. I would even dare to say it's their worst ever. Similar to Radiation I have the impression that the album is made out of leftovers from the albums that preceded it. There isn't much that really sticks out. It all plods along at the a sleepy pace that makes all songs sound a lot longer then they actually are. And they are so predictable, all starting with Hogarth rambling over some pointless piano and guitar noodling and then shifting to over-emotional outbreaks that are as pointless as the quiet parts, only much more annoying... I really don't get how this album can get more reviews then Anoraknophobia. I see no reason whatsoever to even bother listening to it.

Somewhere between early Coldplay and Pink Floyd?

With the entrance of Steve Hogarth, Marillion changed radically their sound, clearly known to be less Prog Rock oriented, sometimes being Alt. Rock allthrough. Well, Somewhere Else is one entire Alternative Rock album. Unlike Marbles which showed the band trying too hard to sound proggy, Somewhere Else shows the "new" line- up playing what they can naturally play: damn great alternative rock.

I don't think Steve Hogarth fits to sing long suites, neither is the new style of the band meant to play long, complex tunes. Brave was superb because there was a concept behind the music, so the long songs were justified and sounded well, they weren't really complex either mind you. Well, with Somewhere Else, Marillion plays simple though catchy and well-played rock tunes and soft ones.

All the songs are strong and have something memorable, be it Hogarth's emotional and soft singing or Steve Rothery's Floydish guitar or even the nice piano chords which are present allthrough the record. Yes, the band's original Neo-Prog sound is gone with the exception of Rothery's guitar style, Mark doesn't play synths anymore neither does Peter Trewavas play thrilling bass lines, nor there is a theatrical singer or poetic lyrics, all that was great with Fish, though the band without him had to move on and I think they did greatly to move onto a different genre which they play so well.

Seriously, this album gives me a lot of enjoyment, however you must know that I've always tolerated Alt. Rock music with bands like Coldplay, Radiohead, Pearl Jam and the like, so it's not a surprise I like this era of Marillion quite a bit.

3 stars: if you're not keen at all about Alt. Rock music you better get away from this album, because that's all this album offers. Yet, if you do enjoy some non-prog music by "ex-prog bands", Somewhere Else is simply a great rock album that should be listened by any alt. rock fan .

An album which divides Marillion fans just as much as prog fans in general, Somewhere Else had the extremely unenviable task of following up one of the all time classic progressive rock albums, Marbles.

Let's say straight away that this album is nowhere near that league, but, then again, I wouldn't expect it to be. To be fair to the band, they have reached those dizzy heights on more than one occasion, especially with Brave and Misplaced Childhood, and many bands never even get there once.

That it is still a very good album, and that they, once again, attempted to move forward rather than merely copying a classic is a great credit to this band, and shows up the massive virtue of not being beholden to record company whims.

Actually, the opener The Other Half is an utter classic, with sensitive vocals and lyrics backed up by some exquisite Steven Rothery guitar work, but, unfortunately, these high standards are not consistently applied across the album as a whole.

See It Like A Baby was a single from the album, and is good, but, unfortunately, nowhere near as good as many of the more commercial tracks the band have performed over the years.

The album as a whole is a loose type of concept based around Steve Hogarth's marital difficulties at the time, and, as such, much of it has a slightly mournful and desolate feel to it. Even the next single, Thank You Whoever You Are, dealing with a romantic tryst, is very much rooted in the blues, as if H sincerely regrets what has happened, especially forgetting the lady's name, whilst all around him collapses.

Most Toys continues the band's proud tradition of social commentary, basically stating that you leave this earth with as much as you entered...nothing. It is a track that races along at a hundred miles an hour, but is perhaps too frenetic to be wholly effective.

The highlight of the album, for me, is the title track Somewhere Else, which deals directly with the loneliness and despair caused by divorce and living away from your loved ones. The lyrics are exceptionally sad and bittersweet. Many have commented on the fact that H doesn't do castrato very well. I disagree, and this, Kelly's piano, Trewavas's bass, Rothery's delicately understated guitar, and sensitive percussive work by Mosley combine to create an arid atmosphere which is almost too beautiful for words.

Elsewhere, there are solid enough tracks in Voice From The Past, the very thoughtful and bluesy No Such Thing, and The Wound. The final two tracks bring us a magnificent conclusion. The Last Century For Man continues the excellent series of tracks the band have made dealing with the threat of climate change, and Faith, a great acoustic track which ends the album on a high point, looking forward rather than back with a renewed sense of purpose and optimism. Of course, this was true with the band as well as Hogarth personally, because the following album, Happiness Is The Road, is another classic.

If you have this, and haven't spun it for quite a while, I would heartily recommend that you do. It is actually an album which stands up very well in isolation, away from comparisons with other monumental works by this quintessentially marvellous English band. If you don't have it, then it comes highly recommended. This band do not do bad, simple as that.

Three stars for this. Recommended for everyone who especially wish to hear easily the finest rock guitarist on the planet at the moment. The rest of them aren't half bad, either!

Somewhere Else is a divisive album amongst Marillion fans - much like Radiation, which exhibits a rather similar approach. Like Radiation, the album finds Marillion opting to concentrate on shorter, poppier numbers with a healthy dose of 60s influence (at points getting outright spacey or psychedelic), though on the whole I would say it's a slightly more successful album than its predecessor.

Part of this is down to a much better production job, which brings out the psychedelic influences on the songs much more clearly and genuinely makes the album more pleasant to listen to on the whole. Part of this is a more artful running order, which mixes more progressive songs in with the more straight-ahead pieces (I swear people would give Radiation an easier time if all the least progressive - and, I will admit, least good - songs weren't all crammed to the front of the running order). But I'd say a bigger part of it than all of these is that even though they are not going out of their way to be super-progressive at this point, neither are Marillion trying hard to be anything other than Marillion. There's no embarrassing chasing of indie-pop credential, as many fans (including myself) felt there was on Radiation.

On the whole, I wouldn't put Somewhere Else in the top rank of Marillion albums, and it's certainly not their proggiest effort, but I would say it's one of their more successful attempts at hippified mildly proggy pop (alongside Anoraknophobia and Marillion.com). In fact, I'd say that at this point there are two clear traditions in H-era Marillion which have kind of developed in parallel - lush crossover prog albums like Brave, Afraid of Sunlight and Marbles on the one hand, and poppier pieces like Holidays In Eden, Radiation and Somewhere Else on the other. Unfortunately, I'm not convinced that the pop-Marillion strand has ever measured up to their more prog-inclined albums, but this is a perfectly pleasant listen and anyone who thinks Holidays in Eden got a raw deal will likely find something to like here.