Marillion

Have you ever fallen into a dream? That's what listening to Marillion is like. The band's sonic embrace materializes through lush melodies, orchestral passages and seductively somber vocals. However, their 15th studio album, Happiness is the Road, isn't just one dreamscape; it's two, and they're both worth delving into. Separated into two halves, Essence and The Hard Shoulder, the album's a weirdly inviting ride. Marillion challenge listeners, through creating layered soundscapes that require and reward attention to detail. It's a challenge well worth taking for any discerning fan.

Prog rock has always been a strange genre, but Marillion take the very notion of "progressive" and bend it to their collective whim. Over the course of these songs, aural textures segue from experimental to ethereal, yet the band never loses sight of melody. "This Train Is My Life" and "Nothing Fills The Whole" both feel elegantly morose, while "Happiness Is the Road" hypnotizes through a massive web of guitar and key orchestration. "Liquidity" flows with a fire that only a band this seasoned could muster. That's only just the first half of Happiness Is the Road. The second matches the first, but dives below the "prog" surface and into an ethereal darkness that culminates on "Real Tears for Sale," a veritable epic.

Marillion have remain a cult sensation, but they deserve the mainstream's attention now more than ever. In a musical climate dominated by the "style over substance" mantra, it's refreshing to see a band that's not afraid to still take chances. The "initiated" already know about Marillion's brilliance. However, if you're new to the band, feel free to close your eyes and drift away on this Road.

—Rick Florino
12.01.08

Once upon a time, Marillion was unmistakably a prog pop band. But by the dawn of the 21st century, it was becoming increasingly clearer that the group was shedding their early prog direction in favor of melodic pop (akin to Radiohead's more focused and mainstream moments, or even comparable to Coldplay, if Chris Martin and co. were a tad more askew). This is especially evidenced by the first half of their 2008 double album, Happiness Is the Road (issued as two separate releases, "Volume 1: Essence" and "Volume 2: The Hard Shoulder"). By this point, the group's devoted cult following awaits each release with baited breath, and both neither volume should disappoint their post-Fish era fans -- especially on the simply soaring title track from Vol. 1. But on the second disc, the group gets to follow a much proggier path -- which you could have figured by taking a gander at the song title, "The Man from Planet Marzipan." Marillion continue to explore the artier side of rock without getting too crazy, as heard throughout both volumes of Happiness Is the Road. ~ Greg Prato, Rovi