Marillion returned three years after their epic, widely lauded Marbles concept piece with Somewhere Else, another self-produced album. While no one seriously expected them to top such a feat, all ears were curious as to how they’d attempt to follow up what many then considered to be the unexpected peak of a 25-year career.
Marillion spent their career in the 1980s carving out a niche in the resurrected prog movement of the period, aping much of the territory that Genesis, Yes and Gentle Giant had already covered so well a decade before. By the end of the ’80s, things would change drastically with the departure of their lead singer, the poetically gifted choke-throated Fish. He would be replaced by Steve Hogarth, who brought to the band a more traditional pop-rock style of singing – not to mention the sensibilities of such a singer.
Over the next two decades after Hogarth’s arrival, Marillion slowly shifted from a progressive band into what they were when Somewhere Else arrived: a pop-rock band doing very intelligent music that happens to occasionally be conceptual in nature.
This album, however, wasn’t – and I was personally glad they opted for an album of songs rather than another big concept piece. Following the amazing two-disc Marbles with another big, heavy project like that would have been a mistake: Too much too soon.
What we got instead was a lighter, airier Marillion. But, aside from a couple of stumbles, they were no less engaging.
Marillion seemed to have found their sound, finally: What really started to take shape on 2001’s Anaraknophobia, if a little roughly, was perfected with Marbles in 2004. The trend continued here, and that was basically a good thing. While it made for an album of no real surprises, Somewhere Else was simple, smart pop with a good band and an emotive vocalist.
Where Marillion lets the listener down was where they simply try too hard: “Most Toys,” where they attempted to rock out as hard as they can (and mostly flail about instead of hitting the target) and “Last Century For Man,” where they attempted a cautionary tale. They only scored with the infectious and beautiful chorus, while the song fell flat in the verses. It just wasn’t a very strong message song. Some bands are better at delivering straight-up messages and others are better at hinting at them creatively. Marillion should stick to the latter.
Released on April 9, 2007, Somewhere Else made a lovely transition for long-time fans out of the emotional, intense, and dense Marbles. For newbies, Marbles remained the place to start – then give Somewhere Else a try, as it was easily one of their most focused and solid albums since 1995’s Afraid of Sunlight.
Songs such as nearly epic “The Wound” and the contemplative “Thankyou Whoever You Are” likely found themselves on many Marillion fans most-played lists, but it’s the charming acoustic closer “Faith” that could be a surprise for everyone. It’s beautiful.
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