Oddball album
Fronted by Steve West, drummer of the influential indie rock band Pavement, and with five others in toe Marble Valley produces some very…unique and creative music. They use guitar riffs, electronica and vocals in ways I have never heard used before, and not sure they should used again.
‘Country’ is the albums very strange opener. It has deep vocals from Steve and someone shouting “do it” in the background, while indie guitars and drumming give paranormal imagery of walking “in the country”. If the first track is like this what is the remained of the album like I hear you ask; well let me tell you.
‘You Never Listen’ is a just over twenty seconds list of things individuals don’t do; I’m guessing one is listening; I had to play the track twice to hear it properly. ‘Tal, Tooth’ has an electronic rhythm with floating vocals ranging from hollow deepness to indie trips. This actually makes me contemplate whether the band are all together there, in the mental sense.
As you continue, the harmonies for ‘Trevor’ are very eerie. The Adams Family style music doesn’t settle me down. Imagine a ghost train theme or an organ from Phantom of the Opera with an added guitar riff and drum beat and you get ‘Slash And Laugh’. The same organ style invades ‘Shaven Advark’, which could have actually been a decent song without it as there are no vocals. Whistles and other childish sounds attempt to act as instrument on ‘Brave Raver’. The vocals for this are absolutely horrendous on the chorus; they are so high pitches that my ears began to ring.
The only half decent tunes comprise of ‘Weed, Croque’ which has all you ever need in a song, electric riffs and a rocking bass line; vocals have no movement though, ‘Flood Waters’ is a kinder to the ear and mind kind of tune while the concluding track, ‘A Ghost Of A Thousand Tours’ is a piano friendly touch of heart.
By the time I reached the end of this release I realised it is an album you would love to hate, but can’t. It is so unrealistically annoying and ragged that it works. Maybe with Halloween approaching this album may find its uses, other than that one night a year, I'm not sure what else it can be good for, but you’ll still listen.