Marillion has been around for decades yet they are still virtually unheard of (especially in the United States) and have never received their due credit. Like many bands that have been around for nearly 30 years they have two distinct eras. The first consists of four CDs fronted by vocalist Fish and is probably their best known era (which produced most of their “hits” like “Incommunicado”, “Assassing” and “Kayleigh”). The second era fronted by current vocalist Steve Hogarth with 11 albums under his belt. However the transition of singers has been well accepted by fans (with a few exceptions) for the most part. Marillion’s sound is unique in that some would describe it as prog rock, others “neo prog” and even some have been so bold as to classify them as pop rock. In my opinion labeling the band as one specific genre is like pinning jello to a wall… It’s nearly impossible. With Marillion there are moments of prog, moments of pop, moments of guitar and piano driven rock, moments of alternative throughout their illustrious career. I guess I consider them more “mood music” than anything else.
With their latest CD release “Less Is More” Marillion has decided to take the softer and less complex road. The tile of the CD applies nicely here. With this CD there is a scaled down version of some of their previous releases (not quite fully acoustic or unplugged but darn close). According to their press release “Less is More” is a “chance for Marillion to shine new light into their songs.” However many of these songs are not merely, as I stated before, acoustic versions of the originals but in face some are complete new arrangements. They have been reconstructed in many ways and scaled down to a more simplistic sound. The songs included are all taken from the Hogarth era which spans from 1993 to present.
In my opinion “Less Is More” is a less than stellar release from Marillion. Having been a fan since their second record “Fugazi” it saddens me to say this CD will make it into my top 10 Marillion CDs. One this for sure is it is apparent that these guys love their fans and get great pleasure from making their fans happy which ultimately makes the band all the more appealing to me. They will not sell out to the industry and will do whatever it takes to make great music for their loyal fans. Check these guys however I would highly recommend some of their earlier releases like “Seasons End” or even their previous CDs “Happiness Is the Road (Vol. 1 & 2)”.
Reviewed by Jeff Holton
