Marian Hill - Act One

Marian Hill
Act One
2016
Spotify

Act One is a really interesting piece of work. On one hand it is grounded in classic sounds like sax, piano and bass but then at the same time it is completely modern bringing in heavy electronic influences. In my review of their EP last year I compared it to some kind of jazz electronic exploration with dusting of dance for good measure. This is either a completely new take on pop music or a flash in the pan, there really is no way to be totally sure. However what is for sure is that this record is really good. The sound is not as risky as it has been in the past but it still is miles away from anyone else doing anything even remotely similar. The record in many ways is very quiet allowing for the lack of sound to make as big an impact as the actual music. Then of course there is Samantha's breathy jazz voice which elevates everything it touches. Many of the tracks could easily turn into twitchy dance beats but Marian Hill keep that at bay by keeping their rhythms and delivery just off kilter leaving surprises for the listener on every track. Where their last record Sway suffered a bit from being one note Act One is constantly changing into something new never resting on one idea or sound for to long. Marian Hill have this really great ability to bridge the gap between avant garde and relateable so well.

Often in electronic music you will hear heavy criticisms leveled against the somewhat basic song writing. I don't know how many times we have taken back the night via music but at this point I think we can consider the night fully taken. However Marian Hill never fall into that trap. The focus on much of their music is the words. They come first and are always boosted above whatever warble might be going on behind them. It gives the music this really great sense of authenticity rather than generic mass appeal. This record however does lack a bit of the punch that Sway had. Possibly because the sound is not so aggressively new anymore, but you can find yourself getting very comfortable with these tracks, forgetting just how exciting they actually are. The real question after listening to this though is how to get it to people. When you hear this music you cannot help but be sucked in, but Marian Hill may suffer from just how god damned good they are. The casual listener won't think to listen to this music even though they absolutely should. Act One is only the beginning for this really special group, and as they get more comfortable with their sound wwatch out because they may just take over the world.

8.0 out of 10