NEW ALBUM: MARILLION ~ An Hour Before It's Dark

[Ruby]

MARILLION ~ An Hour Before It's Dark



I’ve been vacillating over this new album. Needed to listen to it several times to be able to form a sensible opinion. One thing’s for sure, they do not make it a walk in the park to hear and digest – and that’s a good thing, IMHO. Such a strangely divisive band this – no grey areas.

This bears zero resemblance to the Fish era Marillion btw – they should almost be calling themselves Marillion Marque II. All accomplished musicians, they ask you to think, especially in the first track “Be Hard on Yourself” which is about the state of the planet and the fact that we have An Hour Before It’s Dark. I’m not entirely sure about this, but they also seem to be exhorting us, generally, to have higher expectations of ourselves, and not to be snowflakes. That’s another good thing – again IMHO! Unless I have misunderstood the gist, which I don’t think I have - “Get out and make it better, you’ve got an hour before it’s dark”. (This first track is in suite form (albeit seamless) and that is the format of the last two sections of the album as well – “Sierra Leon” and “Care”.)

The challenge doesn’t stop there – they continue in a similar vein on the next track “Reprogram the Gene”. And then we have a brief instrumental interlude with “Only a Kiss” which takes on a more sinister meaning in track 4 – “Murder Machines”. This talks about the virus and the spread, which is all via human contact – how that is such a terrible thing – that our very humanness and humanity has been responsible for such devastation. Very powerful - from the following link - Steve Hogarth about the story behind “Murder Machines”:

“I tried not to write about the virus. But it’s been so much a part of life for the past two years that it kept creeping in. The terrifying reality that to wrap my arms around a father or mother could ultimately kill them, gave birth to this song. The lyric was then developed to hint at jealousy and heartbreak - the pain of watching the woman you love embrace another man, or the emotional “murder” of the serial adulterer. And, of course, the arms of the superpowers, and the psychopaths who sometimes have their fingers on the triggers. Beware the murder machines...” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN3FqaiOACw.

“The Crow and the Nightingale” is Marillion’s homage to Leonard Cohen and his lyrical genius. I was surprised that this one seems not to be as well produced as the others and I don’t know whether there’s deliberate obfuscation – seems a little odd as the end is different - much clearer. Like I said – there’s no getting away from the fact that one’s brain might hurt while listening to this album – forces you to consider a few things. Nevertheless – this song remains a poor mix, in my less humble opinion. Lol!

Then there’s “Sierra Leone” which is a tour de force – this is inspired (which is not a great word in this context!) by blood diamonds and the conflict around them – so many atrocities in the name of pieces of carbon. It’s evocative and seems to be the voice of someone who’s borne witness to the destruction wreaked by terrible greed, the filthy arms trade, absolutely horrifying acts committed as a result of the lust for power and control, and who despite now having stumbled upon this huge treasure that could afford an escape from their circumstances, will not exchange it, on principle. That’s how I read it – they will not sell their soul. (I subsequently found this – seems the song is based on the finding of the ‘Peace Diamond’ - https://time.com/longform/sierra-leone-peace-diamond/)

“Care” ends off the album and is basically about our mortality. How nobody knows how long they are for this world. Could be dire, but isn’t, for some reason. It’s about paying attention to what matters – and that is pretty much the relationships you have with the various people in your life. Not a whole lot else matters, at the end of the day. They also acknowledge the medical caregivers in the last movement of this one – “Angels on Earth” – an excerpt from the lyrics …

"...I saw a man paint a woman on the wall
Mask on her face, screen over her eyes
Hospital clothing, worried and exhausted
A thing of beauty, a thing of care
Pure class right there, right there
The angels in this world are not in the walls of churches..."

There are references back and forth between the songs that tie the whole thing together – it’s not light listening – you will need time to reflect, for sure. All in all, a coup, I think. Salutations to them. One cannot ‘like’ this album, and that’s a compliment. It’s not at all likeworthy – deserves greater accolades. I’m not sure that I love it either! However, I am a fair bit admiring as it is all the things a good album ought to be; well conceptualized with a definite thread holding it all together, excellent musicianship and execution (with one exception), imagination and passion. I’ll be listening in the car when I get a physical copy, want to get to know it better. Well done Marillion.





And the first track - "Be Hard On Yourself" 






"Be Hard On Yourself" lyrics ... 

Big ball of rocks and water
Spinning round in space
Blue green and made of magic
Miracles on miracles on miracles with miracles inside
Why would you kill it?

Be hard on yourself
You've been spoilt for years
Be hard on yourself
You'll be glad you did
You'll be glad you did

Something to pull the sheep across the field
Bag of grass and straw
How can it keep growing?

Be hard on yourself
You've been spoilt for years
Be hard on yourself
You'll be glad you did
You'll be glad you did

Run towards the things that scare ya
I dare ya
There's a tear in the big picture
Can't burn it
Got to fix it
Heard you say life's what you settle for
Nobody told you
Less can be more

Strap in
Get ready
Foot down
Push the button
Blow it all up
And be hard on yourself

Strap in
Get ready
Foot down
Push the button
Blow it all up
And be hard on yourself

[II - "Lust For Luxury"]

Don't talk to me of need
Don't talk to me of want
Don't talk to me of dreams
The world has seen enough impatient bags of blood
Don't talk to me of speed
Acceleration never did you any good

The monkey wants a new toy
And that's all that it knows
Something to pull the sheep across the field

The only way forward is to fall over
Or you can learn to be hard on yourself

The monkey wants a new toy
And that's all that it knows
The monkey wants a new toy
And that's all that it knows

Cause of death: Lust for luxury
Cause of death: Lust for luxury
Cause of death: Consumption

[III - "You Can Learn"]

The only way forward is to fall over
Or you can learn to be
Or you can learn to be
Hard on yourself

You can do better
You can do better
But do it now

We haven't got long
We haven't got long
To the end of the song

Be hard on yourself

Strap in
Get ready
Foot down
Push the button
Blow it all up
Blow it all up

Paint a picture, sing a song, plant some flowers in the park
Get out and make it better
You've got an hour before it's dark...