9

Not fishy.

Do you know its now just under twenty years since Fish left Marillion? Some of the younger readers may ask who was Fish? Well, to some he may have been just a big haddie but for others he was the most memorable thing about the band in the period when they had hits.

Since then, although the band may not have troubled the higher echelon of the charts in the manner they used to, they've remained consistent sellers and maintained a keen fanbase. This was best shown when the band asked fans to pre-order an album, before it was even recorded, to ensure that funding was in place to record it. With 12,500 orders, the ensuing 'Anoraknophobia' brought much publicity and a public re-awakening to the band.

New record 'Somewhere Else' is the bands 14th album, and now that you've been clued up with a bit of history about the band, we'd better carry on with the album review proper!

Opener 'he Other Half' has a trippy and psychedelic feel which, to some surprise wasn't bad at all. The guitar chopped and changed enough, hinting at an Eastern influence that no self-respecting mystical song could be without, and as much as it may conform to the norm regarding this type of song, the piano break certainly didn't. Yes, it has a pompous edge and the vocals are filled with a pained edge but you know something, if a new band had this track as their opener, it would be lauded as being adventurous and different from their peers, so the same plaudits must be handed to Marillion.

And this sets the tone for the following tracks, the swirling guitars and the reaching vocals take centre stage, flitting between Britpop 60s style melodies to the slower meandering that Ocean Colour Scene fans would warm to. Clearly the public perception of Marillion, based on an image that is twenty years old holds no water with the modern day. Which makes perfect sense, if you're over 20 years old, compare yourself now to then. And if you are under twenty, consider the fact that this band was having hits before you were born.

Theres a fair amount of introspection in the lyrics, with 'A View From The Past' seeming as haunting and looking back on previous errors as much as the title would suggest, this song features the band at their most plaintive, although the guitar on closer 'Faith' is slightly jaunty.

'Most Toys' or 'The Wound' would rival a latter-day Oasis album track and probably features the band at their most aggressive and challenging with the rest of the record, petering out to a slow and soothing tempo.

So there we have it, Marillion are officially no longer fishy. Their fans would say that they haven't been that way for many a year but this may just be the time when the non-believers find this out.