Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Marillion
Label: Ear Music Records
Release: 2012
Runtime: 74:19
Rating: 4.5/5
Marillion, Britain’s most jealously guarded musical secret, are back with a new project called »Sounds That Can’t Be Made« after a studio break of almost four years, which is how long it’s been since their last ‘proper’ studio effort, »Happiness Is The Road« (2008). It’s already their seventeenth studio album if you count the acoustic record »Less Is More« (2009), which is plain proof of the workaholic nature of this cult art rock quintet from Aylesbury. Individual pieces on »Sounds That Can’t Be Made« were recorded at Real World Studios, owned by the legendary Peter Gabriel (ex-Genesis), one of the key musicians shaping Marillion’s sonic development, especially in their early neo-prog years. Once again, the charismatic singer and occasional keyboardist Steve Hogarth wrote all the lyrics on the album, except for »Pour My Love«, where he got a hand from longtime outside collaborator John Helmer.
Mr. H’s lyrical confessions are, as usual, full of deep insight and sympathy for the misunderstood individual in a world gone mad, but also of social activism. You can feel that most on the opening epic masterpiece, »Gaza«, which clocks in at over 17 minutes and is dedicated to the suffering of the Palestinian people, especially Palestinian children, under the brutal Israeli occupation. The Marillion lineup hasn’t changed since 1989, which is a staggering achievement that very few bands of their generation can boast. The incredible chemistry the members have had for more than twenty years gives them the ultimate songwriting luxury, since they understand each other’s compositional ideas and needs perfectly. This time, a somewhat longer studio break meant a nice pile of refreshing songwriting and arrangement ideas piled up in the meantime, which makes their newest studio project their most convincing effort since the unforgettable masterpiece »Marbles« (2004).
On »Sounds That Can’t Be Made«, Marillion return to writing longer compositions, some of them over 10 minutes, which has been more the exception than the rule over the last few years. That will delight everyone who values their progressive rock elements most, and there’s no shortage of them this time. Taken as a whole, this is one of the most complex albums of the H era, though it’s worth noting that the individual arrangements are unusually ‘flowing’ and get under your skin relatively fast, at least for the more demanding listener. That’s another way »Sounds That Can’t Be Made« stands apart from most Marillion studio projects of the past decade.
Despite the complex rhythmic structures, the widely branching symphonic arrangements and plenty of unexpected tempo shifts, every composition on the album keeps its head and tail, and its melodic core. Thanks to the fantastic guitar master of subtlety Steve Rothery and the versatile keyboard wizard Mark Kelly, the album is drowned in ethereal arrangements, exactly what you’d expect from the modern art rock Marillion, who value subtlety and refinement over the old neo-prog theatrics and pomp. The dream rhythm section pairs the cult bassist Pete Trewavas (also a member of the prog rock supergroup Transatlantic, besides Marillion), who once again doesn’t skimp on generous helpings of melodic bass lines, with the old drumming wolf Ian Mosley, who is, as expected, the picture of drumming dynamics. It runs like a well-oiled machine and is key to building the epic variety of the album’s individual pieces. Mr. H, who sadly, especially for his longtime female fans, is long past the bloom of youth these days, proves himself once again an excellent and completely unique singer, by far the one who keeps Marillion’s sound recognizable. That’s no surprise at all, as he’s been in top vocal form since 1989.
The aforementioned opening epic »Gaza«, at over 17 minutes, is one of the most complex and profound pieces in their story. For a band that has created quite a few works that give the listener ‘something to think about’, it’s yet another proof that they won’t run out of breathtaking artistic fervor anytime soon. As befits lyrics dedicated to the suffering of the Palestinian people under the brutal Israeli heel, which every so often, right in front of the international community, settles scores in bloody fashion with the ‘disobedient’ Gaza, the biggest prison in the world, the atmosphere of this fascinating piece is mostly dark and melancholic, with a whole palette of sudden rhythmic changes and unexpected tempo shifts.
In the turbulent opening section, H’s melodramatic vocals blend wonderfully with Kelly’s ambient keyboard patterns and Rothery’s unusually raw guitar passages. The cult guitarist is once again exceptionally creative, energetically serving up innovative guitar improvisations. This epic keeps shifting between calm, melancholic ambient shades and punchy, spirited moments, where Hogarth, who saw the traumatic situation of the local residents, especially the children, with his own eyes in the middle of Gaza, vents his spleen at the brutality of the Israeli occupation regime in a deeply felt way. In doing so he joined Roger Waters (ex-Pink Floyd) as one of the few singers who still call attention to this sad problem, this burial of all humanity that cries out to heaven, in an age when the incompetent international community, under the patronage of the ‘almighty’ Americans, knowingly shuts both eyes. The occasional help from Trewavas and Kelly on the mics makes the vocal lines sound exceptionally ethereal at times.
After the politically and humanitarian-tinged sermon, a track with a somewhat more relaxed atmosphere cools down the heated air in the form of the title masterpiece, »Sounds That Can’t Be Made«, which you can already predict will become a favorite among the live classics. Its main charm lies in its strongly nostalgic mood, conjured up by a mighty guitar riff paired with an ethereal synth arrangement. Kelly, who among other things also conjures up a juicy keyboard solo, is once again remarkably innovative in creating mighty synth curtains, which are key to building a melancholic yet uplifting atmosphere. H’s vocals sound distinctly confident this time, almost arrogant at times, while the peak of the ambient magic is the epic chorus with hypnotic harmonies. After Kelly’s cunning synth solo, Rothery shines too with a monumental guitar solo performance.
»Pour My Love« is a tender, piano-driven ballad with minimalist ambient patterns, right in the middle of which H’s, this time distinctly mournful, vocals feel extremely comfortable. The dreamy mood that reigns most of the time gets aired out a bit by an unexpected tempo shift, where a cheeky symphonic arrangement and a decisive guitar phrase take the initiative, after which Rothery spices everything up with a short but witty guitar solo. »Power«, with its rather fatalistic ambient pulse, is another convincing candidate for a Marillion classic, as it contains one of the best, or rather mightiest, choruses in the last few years. The mournful atmosphere is slowly built up by a combination of dynamic synth patterns and layered guitar passages, while Mr. H, switching between calm and turbulent ambient shades, once again delivers an epic vocal performance in which fervor and anger mix.
»Montreal« is another complex epic masterpiece, this time 14 minutes long, dedicated to all the Canadian fans of the band and especially to the city of Montreal, where the band members ran into an especially warm reception on their previous tour. The lyrics of »Montreal« are so idyllic that even some of the better-read Slovenes may be tempted by the idea of ‘escaping’ to Canada as soon as possible, away from the domestic neo-liberal (or better said, neo-fascist) devastation. They tell of the cult band’s adventures (visiting a circus, local cafes, shops and so on) before a gig in Montreal. Apparently they were greeted at the airport by thrilled fans, of whom there are quite a few in Canada. The track’s complex atmosphere is pleasant and ethereal throughout, with occasional, somewhat hotter ‘explosions’, as Kelly keeps devotedly laying down layered symphonic textures, while Rothery is once again ‘in a class of his own’ when it comes to weaving subtle guitar phrases. And Hogarth proves once more to be an excellent storyteller of rich life experiences. Canadian fans will no doubt adopt this song immediately, just like the Estonian Marillion fans took the classic »Estonia« as their anthem back in 1997.
»Invisible Ink« is a relatively complex love ballad with a distinctly still-life piano intro and H’s melancholy-salted vocal performance. Marillion masterfully move from an unpromising, somewhat sleepy intro into an energetic and rhythmically dynamic section, where a mighty guitar phrase takes the lead, while Hogarth convincingly shifts between high and low vocal registers. »Lucky Man« is another splendid track, with fun lyrics about self-realization and, at the same time, a sarcastic reckoning with the low needs of most random individuals in the midst of a modern, hyper-consumerist ‘civilization’ that is slowly but unstoppably driving toward the abyss. Here the turbulent and melancholic moods alternate again, with Rothery weaving subtle guitar passages over layered symphonic keyboard arrangements and occasionally wandering into relatively raw waters. Hogarth once again adapts his vocals to the needs of the moment in a superb, theatrical way, and especially shines in the uplifting, hyperactive chorus.
The closing masterpiece, »The Sky Above The Rain«, is the third in a series of prog rock epics over 10 minutes long on »Sounds That Can’t Be Made«. It opens as a relatively innocent love ballad with H’s wistful singing and gentle piano accompaniment from Kelly, after which subtle guitar, a thoughtful drum foundation, melodic bass guitar lines and layered synth textures slowly join in. Rothery is once again brilliant, offering hyper-melancholic guitar improvisations that lift the majestic atmosphere up another notch. The symphonic shades flow with great finesse through the mighty guitar passages and together form a gorgeous melody. With this excellent achievement, the legendary band reaches its peak in the epic closing section, where Mr. H especially shines with his heart-wrenching vocal performance while Rothery conjures up a monumental guitar solo, proving once again that they are exceptional masters of ambient layering.
With »Sounds That Can’t Be Made«, their latest studio masterpiece, Marillion have once again proven why they’re one of the most revered progressive rock bands of our time, despite being criminally ignored by the commercial media. This time the guiding philosophy behind the artistic process was obviously ‘quality over quantity’, which paid off richly with one of the best releases from this inseparable Marillion lineup, who have been delighting us with infectious melodies and deep messages for years. It’s kind of hard to believe that exactly thirty years have passed this year since the release of Marillion’s first single, »Market Square Heroes« (1982), and what better way to mark the anniversary than with a splendid new studio album that will stand shoulder to shoulder with the main masterpieces of the H era, such as »Brave« (1994), »Afraid Of Sunlight« (1995), »This Strange Engine« (1997) and »Marbles« (2004).
Lineup
Steve Hogarth – vocals, keyboards
Steve Rothery – guitar, backing vocals
Pete Trewavas – bass guitar, backing vocals, guitar
Mark Kelly – keyboards, backing vocals
Ian Mosley – drums, backing vocals
Production
Marillion and Mike Hunter
Track list
1. Gaza
2. Sounds That Can’t Be Made
3. Pour My Love
4. Power
5. Montreal
6. Invisible Ink
7. Lucky Man
8. The Sky Above The Rain
