{"id":2833,"date":"2022-03-16T00:21:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-15T23:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/roglacup.com\/klaus62\/?p=2833"},"modified":"2022-03-16T06:17:00","modified_gmt":"2022-03-16T05:17:00","slug":"morning-song-marillion-be-hard-on-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/roglacup.com\/klaus62\/2022\/03\/16\/morning-song-marillion-be-hard-on-yourself\/","title":{"rendered":"Morning song#Marillion #Be Hard On Yourself"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Few bands have morphed as successfully as Marillion<\/strong>. No one in their right mind would have guessed that a band that began life as Genesis<\/strong>-wannabe neo-proggers  would later release albums as dreamy as 2004\u2019s \u201cMarbles,\u201d <\/strong>or the mindwarp we call \u201cBrave\u201d<\/strong> from a decade earlier, or that those then-undreamt forays into mental anguish and sonic chill zones would impact both the band band and their rabid audience in the manner that they have. Marillion <\/strong>did however drop off my radar in the mid-2000s (and single parenthood is a damn good excuse for that, so don\u2019t @ me), and even though I found 2016\u2019s \u201cFuck Everyone and Run\u201d <\/strong>to be compelling, I also found it mostly unmemorable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s not the case with \u201cAn Hour Before It\u2019s Dark.\u201d<\/strong> A decidedly moody-sounding record, Marillion\u2019s <\/strong>twentieth \u2013 twentieth<\/em> \u2013 record opens with longtime front-man Steve Hogarth <\/strong>urging his audience to \u201cBe Hard On Yourself,\u201d <\/em>quite the turnaround from the \u201cDon\u2019t Hurt Yourself<\/em>\u201d of nearly two decades ago, but whatever. This refreshingly morose song would inspire all the tension and doubt Hogarth\u2019s <\/strong>lyrics convey even if he were singing the lyrics of Mr. Trololol<\/strong>\u2018s signature tune, and the very fact that these guys are able to summon any emotions at all even if they were singing absolute gibberish speaks to what a vital machine Marillion<\/strong> is. I can think of no other sexagenarians who have any business sounding as young, hungry, and fervent as Marillion<\/strong> does on \u201cAn Hour Before It\u2019s Dark.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of fervor, Hogarth <\/strong>does us a solid by absolutely not<\/em> singing absolute nonsense. Covering topics such as mortality and empathy has long been one of Marillion\u2019s<\/strong> strong suits, and they come through in fine fucking form on cuts such as \u201cThe Crow and the Nightingale,\u201d <\/em>\u201cCare,\u201d <\/em>and the relatively upbeat \u201cMurder Machines.\u201d <\/em>The two former cuts deserve special mention for the subtle genius the Choir Noir<\/strong> adds to the mood. They display no extravagance, nor is there a need for them to do so, and that very restraint indicates that Marillion <\/strong>and their collaborators have matured far more than they\u2019ve aged. You don\u2019t add a cup of salt when all you need is a dash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As strong as many of these songs are, it\u2019s perhaps\u00a0\u201cCare\u201d\u00a0<\/em>that deserves Instant Classic status.\u00a0Yet another apex in the nouveau-Marillion<\/strong>\u00a0era, \u201cCare\u201d\u00a0<\/em>opens with a danceable electronic-inspired groove that echo the band\u2019s early 2000\u2019s flirtations\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Posted from: https:\/\/www.sonicperspectives.com\/album-reviews\/marillion-an-hour-before-its-dark\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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