Customer Reviews

Maroon

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The CD artwork on Maroon is some of the best I've seen for ages. It's reminiscent of an old film poster - in maroon, of course - with voluptuous ladies, bats, all sorts of hedonistic shennanigans and the Webb Brothers, torches in hand, trying to navigate their way through this 'pergatory', as they describe it on one track. And that's what the concept is, the shallowness and self defeating nature of life as one endless party. The album starts off with the Liars Club meeting up to get blitzed, in a state of self denial that they aren't 21 anymore and are really too old for this kind of thing. The instrumentation is both exotic and sparse, with great sweeping introductory strings giving way to the classic Webb guitar and piano accompaniement, and this combination of the grand with the austere works very effectively throughout the album. However, the broodingly dramatic atmoshere of the album and its storyline - boy goes out, boy gets stoned, boy meets girl, girl gets stoned and dies - is almost lost on the one poor track, In A Fashion, which is reminiscent of McCartney at his most strummy-boppy-singy. Still the star that was lost for that minor inconvenience is acquired back with the artwork.

This is one of the best albums I have ever heard. You will definitely not be disappointed. Your friends will consider you a genius once you turn them onto The Webb Brothers.

Someone thought I was listening to Pink Floyd when I had it in the car (obviously not a genius himself). It's no Pink Floyd, but it is definitely something that you will want to hear for a very long time. This album will appeal to all type of people, and you will find yourself humming the tunes all the time. Wait until you hear "Low Grade Fever," "Marooned," and a great version of Hushdrops' "Summer People."

A must have for any collection. Buy several copies--give them to friends.

On "Maroon," Christiaan and Justin Webb blow up the mini multiplex vistas of their debut, Beyond the Biosphere, into a wide-screen panorama, fleshing out their tunes with blinding technicolor details. Much like the epic sweep of classic songs like "MacArthur Park" - written by none other than their famous father, songwriter Jimmy Webb - "Maroon" takes unexpected turns and twists that are as fun as they are jarring. With its sleigh bells, careering violins and ringing pianos, the album could overload on its own orchestral sugar high, but instead is underpinned with bleak moods and dizzying aural sensations that make for an extremely uneasy listening experience. With its extravagant shades of dark and light and its odd combination of surreal kitsch and lyrical brutalism, "Maroon" tills a sonic landscape that's truly unique. Call it muzak noir.

After a long stint of listening to many albums over the course of the year, I had to finally come to terms with what I thought was at the top of the heap. This album stood out from the rest. Don't get me wrong, I give the Shins- "Oh, Inverted World," it's due for being one of the finest pop albums this side of the millenium, but pound for pound, Maroon has a song for all seasons. From it's beginning excerpt from Renamore, a track that is found on a b-side of one of the Brothers' singles, to the closing track titled, "Sleep While You Can" , the listener is taken on an aural journey that comprises the rise and fall, and minor crescendos, of socialites and their quest for acceptance and yes, love amongst the ruins of their tawdry lives. That is just my personal interpretation of this album, though it does serve well navigating through tracks like "Flourescent Lights," and "Liar's Club." I won't jade you with anymore of my personal interpretations of this wonderful album, isn't it time you checked it out yourself?

I buy lots of music of all styles every Tuesday and have found "Maroon" to be an album that holds up upon repeated listening. It has risen through the quagmire of albums that are quickly sold back to the used CD store and has landed itself on my permanent playlist. I've had the album for more than a year and love to slip it into the CD player while driving -- despite the fact that the lyrics focus on somber topics (all very tongue-in-cheek and quite funny) the lush singalong melodies and inventive arrangements never fail to put me in a great mood.

The album is solid. My only gripe is the song "Summer People," (the one song on the album the brothers didn't write). Try as I might, I just don't like it. But to enjoy 12 of 13 tracks on one CD makes for a great album. I hope the Webb Brothers come out with something new soon. I'll be the first in line to buy it.

This is a great CD from a great band. From Chicago, but only known in the U.K., this CD will be released in the U.S. soon. You have to add this to your collection!

My sister won this cd free from a radio station. I liked it so much that I bought it. I had never heard of this band before, but the songs are very catchy and pretty humorous. I bought it for next to nothing and still like to include songs on my playlists even though it is an older cd. Definitely worth giving a little known band a try. You will be surprised at how much you like it.

I discovered the Webb Brothers through internet radio. I heard the song "Low-Grade Fever" and was so thoroughly impressed that I decided to take a chance and order this album.

I'm glad that I did. This album is REALLY good. These guys have a real knack for writing catchy, interesting melodies. Their music isn't breaking any new ground or trying to prove anything- they're just really good, catchy songs. What more could you ask for, really? If I had to list one complaint, I would probably say that the lead singer does not have the most amazing voice. Not that he is a poor or inept singer, because he's not at all, what I mean is just that the timbre of his voice is not the most pleasing I've ever heard. But it's not enough to detract from the overall quality of the music. I give this album 5 stars and 2 thumbs up.

From the dramatic openings of the first track-"The Liar's Club" to the closing moments of the final track-"Sleep If You Can"-this album will maintain your attention,with hardly any breaks,not even for the aptly titled minute insrumental of track 7,"Intermission".The c.d. follows a definite storyline,so one could possibly say it's a concept album of sorts.Lyrically it's actually quite a funny,humourous story of young love,with lots of narcotics references too.Musically it's got a very seventies feel to it.On first hearing they sort of reminded me of Jellyfish or Supergrass and their first album.The songs are pretty catchy and they are all pretty short.The stand out tracks for me are track 2-I Can't Believe You're Gone,Track 4-Summer People and without a doubt the beautiful ballad,Track 8-Fluorescent Lights.It's got a light rock sort of feel,with real seventies style keyboards.The vocal harmonies are magnificent and really enhance the songs.This c.d. is certainly worth investigating-the reviews over here have been very positive and when you listen to this c.d. you'll soon understand why!

What's most striking about this record is its ability to sound just like someone else (Ben Folds, Elvis Costello, even, strangely enough, Steve Miller and Joe Walsh at points). It's at points catchy and never offensive, but unfortunately, it all sort of slips right by me. Nothing grabs me so much that I feel the need to ever hear it again.