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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Happiness IS The Road, November 2, 2008
Happiness is the Road is the latest release from one of the most under-reported bands in the music business today. Their 15th release, HITR is two separate albums. Volume 1 (Essence) is a concept album with a sparkling sample of pop, progressive-rock, soul and blues influences(just to name a few!). The tracks flow together seamlessly, in and out of various moods from dreamlike, intimate introspection through all out pop anthems. The theme that ties all these varying influences together is one of self-discovery and spirituality - about slowing down our increasingly blinding speed of daily life and grasping all the little miraculous moments that we let slip by us unaware. It's a huge accomplishment, lyrically rich and musically complex. Already receiving rave reviews amongst hardcore Marillion fans (a demanding bunch!) based on the online pre-release that garnered headlines around the world.
I personally found Trap the Spark and State of Mind to be the instant highlights. But after only a couple of spins, I now find it difficult not to start right off the top and enjoy what is - essentially - a 45 minute symphonic opus that starts off quietly and repeatedly builds up layers until it strips everything down naked before rising again to another emotional climax. The whole adventure peaks with the 11-minute title track "Happiness is the Road" which tells the whole story of how the album's theme was born out of a personal experience with a doctor, a book, and a stressed out rock star. Honest, inspiring and magnificent.
I also strongly believe that Happiness is the Road is one of Marillion's most beautiful-sounding releases with a lush, layered production quality that is highly dynamic. And by all measures, one of their most accessible albums that showcases the full talents of these five extraordary artists. Destined to be a classic in the Marillion canon, and may be the one that gets them the broader attention they truly deserve.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My favorite Marillion album, November 1, 2008
This is Marillion's 15th album, in their 30th year as a band. If you've ever been to a concert by a band that old, you'll remember that the crowd goes crazy for the old classics, and heads for the bar for a drink the second someone says "this is a song from our new album."
Marillion is the exception to that rule. Especially ths year. I can't recall a new album getting so much praise from the fans, and I can guarantee people are waiting eagerly to hear this new material live.
But at the same time, this is (yet again) different than anything they've done before. The sound this time is lush and rich, with gorgeous keyboards from Mark Kelly. Steve Hogarth's lyrics are deeply personal, dealing with his newfound ability to seize a moment and not live in the past or the future. Fans of Steve Rothery's heroic guitar will find moments to enjoy, too, although he spends just as much time being part of the soundscape rather than playing above it. That, to me, is the great strength here - all the sounds are working together, and the result is breathtaking. Michael Hunter's production deserves some kind of award.
The first disc, Essence, draws from all kinds of influences. There are Pink Floydian moments, soul moments, reggae moments, Vangelis moments... it's a strange journey. But it's coherent, sweet, and inspiring. Very highly recommended for any fan of rock music that reaches higher than a back beat and a cool riff.
I have not heard Marillion sound better.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Play it 'til you RESONATE!, November 2, 2008
RESONATE? What are you talking about, you ask? Well, I made the initial mistake of listening to "Happiness" by playing a couple tracks, here and there, in the car, at work, with no continuity. The result was a lukewarm appreciation...nonchalance. I was a bit disappointed....UNTIL: having the immense fortune of living close to a range of the Italian alps, how could I not be a cyclist??? On one of my 5 hour excursions, I MP3'd both CD's and hit the hills...and slowly, slowly after the second or third play, I started to RESONATE....a term that describes a state achieved when an outside force (wind, sound, light) causes a system to oscillate at a maximum ..it's in tune with it's natural vibrational frequency..think of a bridge swaying in the wind, the silky hum from a wine glass as you rub the rim..that kind of resonance. As humans, we have such a natural frequency..mechanical, emotional, whatever...it's that that instant (albeit ephemeral) that, for some reason, you feel that all is good around you..you are truly at peace, happy. And who the hell knows why??? "Happiness" brought me to that state..which made me realize that these CD's work when you play them continuously, non stop...before I knew it, I found myself on top of one of the peaks..I knew I had suffered but the music dulled the pain..I was resonating. "Happiness" works..it flows, it's gentle but poignant..It's a beautiful CD..period.
Why not 5 stars?? Well, all my fellow drummers would pose the same question..what's going on with Mosley?? Is this the same drummer on "Slainte", "Easter", "White Russian"???? Not much creativity anymore...at the long ending of the title track, for example, he could have done so much, much more. I agree that perhaps the songs require less, still..they could do with some percussive color. Just look as Katche when he drums. I want the old Ian back..desperately.
And Rothery...like Clapton, Santana, Johnson, he has a style recognizable from miles away. We need more classic Rothery. I miss those poignant, heart ripping, soaring solos..Easter, Great Escape..man, goosebumps just thinking about it.
Ok, I'm done...buy both CD's, devote some time to them and you'll understand.
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