Sound That Can't Be Made

Sounds That Can't Be Made  - Marillion



"People change and they turn strange and so will I"

After the longest pause in output in Marillion's career, album 17 - Sounds That Can't Be Made has finally been finished. (Thanks to Marillion for providing me with the Mp3 album while my CD makes a transatlantic journey). Not being the biggest fan of the 2008 release Happiness is the Road, I have not committed as much time to absorbing the latest Marillion works, although I think 2007's Somewhere Else is an amazing record and is holding up as some classic Marillion work. There were difficulties with writers block as it seems that H has already said a lot of what he has to say, although it would seem unfortunate circumstances in his personal life have given him more to say.  Even though there are many thematic repeats in his writing career,  I think H is good at expressing the same stories in different ways. Some of the problems with making this record, I think, involve the 20 songs put onto Happiness is the Road.  I would rather see single disc releases like this that take time than a massive and quick output. To begin with, Sounds has a title that is in my opinion is a bit awkward.  I would have preferred something with a little more mystique, something simple like "Rain" would have been nice (there can't be enough Marillion songs about death and water.)


"Nothing's ever simple - that's for sure
There are grieving mothers on both sides of the wire" 
 
"With the love of our family we can rise above anything
Someday surely someone must help us"

The standout track seems to be the opener Gaza - musically heavier and jarring, although somewhat disjointed.  However I think this track is Marillion in top form, I can't get enough of it.  From the orchestral beginnings, to the distorted guitars to the ethereal vocals this song is a dramatic story.  Lyrically, this song has already produced heated controversy.  People want to see it as anti-Isreal/Pro-Palestine/pro-terrorist.  But I think this is to add a political/historic narrative that isn't present. This is rock music.  This is art.  This is revolution.  It's about an oppressed population living in a war zone, particularly from a more innocent viewpoint.  Really the controversy can only come from the title.  Without a location name, it could be about any war. The meaning is not far from the Police's Invisible Sun, a song that only generated controversy from the British government.  It is surely less ideological than Roger Water's anti-war songs like Leaving Beirut. H comes from a culture that is the dominant in a violent political conflict.  Likewise, I, and many offended listeners from America, live in the dominant culture of a conflict.  I don't want to see the US lose the "war on terror" and I don't think H wants the IRA blowing up London.  But I think that we can look at reasons why these conflicts continue and understand that there are losers on both sides.

"Love had died but love is gonna live again"

Lyrically, the album as a whole is fairly simple and straightforward without much complex metaphor. Power is a strong track and was a welcome addition to the 2012 US tour, although I feel like some of the lyric/vocal transitions are a bit awkward.  Pour My Love is a very nice track, a sad theme but presented in a positive and calm manner.  It reminds me a bit of Prince (without any funk).  Sounds That Can't Be Made , Montreal, Invisible Ink, and Lucky Man are perhaps less memorable lyrically but musically strong. The Sky Above the Rain presents another simple tale of lost love, it's not as epic or moving as I was led to believe, but it is well crafted and has great bluesy guitar work by Rothery.

There is in fact a lot of classic Rothery guitar sounds throughout the record.  After their releases in the early 2000s I was beginning to worry that this had become history, but it is back in force.  In all instrumental respects this album is musically intriguing and of sound quality.  Musical phrases on this album leave me thinking about songs like Out of This World, The Space, Fantastic Place, This Strange Engine, Quartz and much of the Brave album. Although there are only eight songs, the album is 70 minutes long.  There are a lot of musical bits, many of which I would like to see explored in longer sections.  To be fair, I should give this album a few more weeks of listening before making judgements.  But as I can't stop listening to it, I think that's good sign that this album will make its mark and overturn any disinterest I was beginning to feel with the last release.  I can't wait for the next one.