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| Marillion - Radiation |
 Released: 1998 Label: Velvel Cat. No.: 63467 79760-2 Total Time: 63:22 | |
Reviewed by: Stephanie Sollow, January 1999 When I heard that Marillion's latest, Radiation, was different from what had come before, I didn't imagine just how much so. What hasn't changed, of course, is their use of dynamics, their musicianship. So, while overall, this is departure from last year's This Strange Engine, it's definitely one from anything that's come before. The closest song to Marillion of the past is the closer "A Few Words For The Dead," which structurally and sonically could have been from the Brave period. Thematically, probably not. The first half or so is quite ambient, the latter half is mid-tempo, a few notches below Brave's "Hard As Love." If you were able to round up all the monsters society has produced, not just in recent times but throughout all human history, and were able to offer them some advice, this song would be it. But, that's just one reading. In another, you will think of the "The troubles" and IRA bombings. In yet another, American militia groups. The truth is, it's all that - simultaneously - with but a single message: "You could love" instead. "Under The Sun" is an ironic look at our attitudes towards the environment, full of angular rhythms uncharacteristic of Marillion. I thought of Live, actually - there is a similar vibe here. In taking notes as I listened to "The Answering Machine" (play on words intended), I was struck by this thought: Oasis fronted by Steve Hogarth. Not that I'm all that familiar with Oasis, mind you, but enough that the thought seemed apt. Actually, this song works on a couple of levels. That Hogarth's vocals sound as if they're lifted from a machine (not sure, probably), reinforces the idea that some of us (more and more) are comfortable leaving a quick message for someone rather than speaking to them directly. The other level is that the song itself is the message. A year from now, maybe two, or maybe it's already happened, this song would be called, "An Email Message" (or, more obviously, "You've Got Mail"). So, that's an effective little number. "Three Minute Boy" is mostly familiar Marillion, though not really imitative of past work. Actually, what I thought of thematically was a much earlier Marillion tune, "Tux-On." I'm also thinking of Foreigner "Juke Box Hero." There's probably hundreds of similarly themed tunes as well, that I haven't named. Saying "this must be about..." is being too fine tuned about it; it's really about anyone who's made it big. It's about the cyclic nature of the music industry as a microcosm for the cyclic nature of human attention to anything. What's big today, is nothing tomorrow. You may be the employee of the month now, but next month you could be out of a job. "Now She'll Never Know" is a fragile, gentile lament of interpersonal conflicts - here it is of the spousal kind. Hogarth's understated vocals here only add to the sadness of regret, not for things said, but more for things left unsaid - that can now never be said. The least characteristic track here is "Born To Run," a smoldering blues number, the kind of slow blues you'd expect to hear at 2:00 a.m., while the last two patrons in the bar, strangers to each other, dance together, hanging on tight because they've not nobody else. All that isn't in the lyrics. Well, not really. The lyrics are more, perhaps, about these two. Included on this US release of the album are two bonus tracks - "Estonia (Acoustic Studio Version)", which has lost none of its power in this different setting, and "Memory of Water", which gives the track a different character (and includes the fog horn intro from Brave). I like this album for the most part. It's different, and that'll take a bit getting used to. Not that I expect Marillion to stay in the same place, but some of those familiar touchstones are gone. The extended lyrical guitar solos of Rothery's are pretty much missing. Time will tell how it rates against their previous albums. [In the Fall/Winter 1998 issue (#29) of Progression, editor John Collinge speaks with Steve Hogarth. -ed.] More about Radiation: Track Listing: Costa Del Slough (1:27) / Under The Sun (4:10) / The Answering Machine (3:48) / Three Minute Boy (5:59) / Now She'll Never Know (4:58) / These Chains (4:49) / Born To Run (5:11)/ Cathedral Wall (7:20) / A Few Words For The Dead (10:50) / Estonia (Acoustic Studio Version) (6:43) / Memory of Water (Big Beat Mix) (8:07) Musicians: Contact: Website: www.marillion.com Discography
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