What Are You Listening To?

[Ruby]

My goodness – Marillion’s new release F E A R is quite something to get one’s head around; and once you begin to do that, it reveals itself as a gem, albeit a many faceted bauble with some very sharp edges. The album is divided into three movements “El Dorado”, “The Leavers” and “The New Kings”, which are separated by an interlude/interleading track. The website for lyrics, etc., http://www.marillion.com/lyric.htm



Band members:
Steve Hogarth (H) – vocals, keyboards
Mark Kelly – keyboards, backing vocals
Ian Mosley – drums, backing vocals
Steve Rothery – guitars, backing vocals
Pete Trewavas – bass guitar, backing vocals, guitars

It was never intended to be a comfortable, feel-good release, and it most certainly is none of the above! It’s excellent music though, and while the content requires of you that you think, that doesn’t detract from the flow and composition. It’s a protest album - a no-holds-barred political excursion and examination of the present state of the planet, brutal in it its intensity, yet oddly gentle – they’re saying what they want to say, what they feel is important, in no uncertain terms, and the fascinating thing is that it’s all the more powerful because of their maturity - in music and in general. (Steve Rothery in particular, is an amazing guitarist, but they’re all highly accomplished and have been playing together for a long time … it shows.)

They’re not brash, not screaming, not forcefully and angrily thumping their message at you despite the album’s title which is an acronym of F*** Everyone and Run and is also the title of a song in the “The New Kings” movement. It’s the least gratuitous use of the eff word I’ve ever heard in song and is not offensive IMHO (it’s almost tasteful, in fact!), not that they are at all perturbed about that eventuality. Hogarth seems to have developed his voice a bit more and he quietly ‘keens’ this in falsetto which makes you listen harder than if something were just to be shoved in your face. People who don’t raise their voices in order to make a point know this very effective little secret!

Here’s H’s comment on the album title which I just found - ”This title is adopted not in anger or with any intention to shock. It is adopted and sung (in the song "New Kings”) tenderly, in sadness and resignation inspired by an England, and a world, which increasingly functions on an “Every man for himself” philosophy. I won’t bore you with examples, they’re all over the newspapers every day. There’s a sense of foreboding that permeates much of this record. I have a feeling that we’re approaching some kind of sea-change in the world – an irreversible political, financial, humanitarian and environmental storm. I hope that I’m wrong. I hope that my FEAR of what “seems” to be approaching is just that, and not FEAR of what “is” actually about to happen.”

I have to hear the whole album a couple more times in order to properly absorb it, but my feeling is that it’s going to make a splash in certain circles and will be recognised as something of a tour de force for this exceptionally hard working band.

May as well go with that title track ….

[video=youtube;Xiwtl-ljUI0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xiwtl-ljUI0[/video]