One of the caveats of Marillion’s career is that, on each new
album, they try not to follow the same path they were on the
previous album. On their last studio effort
This Strange Engine, Steve Hogarth and crew created a
wonderfully textured, layer-by-layer sonic approach. The richness
of these arrangements captured my attention immediately, and the
album made my “best of 1997” list.
Now, with the memories of that album behind them (as well as the
lessons Hogarth learned when he cut his first solo album
Ice Cream Genius), Marillion start out on a different path
on their latest release
Radiation. There are still some rich arrangements present
here, but for the most part the music is shorter, more pop-oriented
material. And while I am a bit disappointed that they didn’t
continue the sonic layering, it’s still a very fine effort.
Following a brief opening interlude in “Costa del Slough”,
Marillion turns the corner towards a more rock-oriented approach.
Punctuated by a whoop from Hogarth over the guitar work of Steve
Rothery, “Under The Sun” introduces Marillion 1998 to the listener.
While the listener who was expecting
This Strange Engine-like songs may be taken back
momentarily, the track is excellent; Mark Kelly’s space-like
keyboard effects lock this one in for me.
There is still plenty of challenge that Marillion offers its
listeners; most noteworthy is the alternative rhythm pattern on
“The Answering Machine” that takes a minute to click. And, if
you’re looking for the rich, textured music, you don’t have a very
long wait, as Hogarth and crew oblige on tracks like “Three Minute
Boy” and “A Few Words For The Dead”. (“Three Minute Boy” reminds me
of one or two works off
Ice Cream Genius, though I do wish that things had built up
a bit quicker on this track.)
Throughout the musical changes that Marillion has gone through
in the last year, the gentle beauty of their music that often comes
through has not been forgotten about. Tracks like “Now She’ll Never
Know” and “Estonia” (the latter a bonus track on the American
release) demonstrate this and remove any lingering doubts a
listener could have.
Despite all the positives of
Radiation, one can’t help but still feel like something is
missing on this disc. Granted, I’m probably being too hard on the
disc; had I never heard
This Strange Engine, I would probably think that this album
was a masterpiece. Maybe so, but to be blunt, it was going to be
hard for Marillion to top
This Strange Engine, no matter what. This is an excellent
effort to do so.
Interestingly enough, I found myself enjoying the bonus tracks
(the acoustic version of “Estonia” previously mentioned and the
“Big Beat Mix” of “Memory Of Water”) more than a few tracks on
Radiation. Had these tracks not been on the album, it would
have ended leaving me feel empty (although it would have solidly
closed with “A Few Words For The Dead”). Instead, these tracks fill
that void, making the time spent on the album all the better.
Radiation is still a very enjoyable album that the diehard
Marillion fans will undoubtedly swoon over. And though it holds its
own quite well, it still is the album released after a tough act to
follow.
