Marmozets - Knowing What You Know Now (Album Review)
Wednesday, 31 January 2018
Written by Liam Turner
The north of England has given us a great many weird and wonderful things over the years. With the release of Marmozets’ second LP, ‘Knowing What You Know Now’, that list has grown a little bit longer.
Three and a bit years have passed since the Bingley-based five-piece released their aptly-titled debut, ‘The Weird and Wonderful Marmozets’. It was a record that successfully revelled in youthful angst but ultimately failed to forge the nascent hard-rockers a distinct identity.
But now, having let go of the safety net of their influences, they’ve finally been able to carve out something mature, exciting and, most importantly, unique on album two.
How have they managed it? Simply put, they’ve made sure to improve on every single area as much as possible. The songwriting is leaner, the production is slicker and the musicianship is tighter. The bangers are also, err, bangier, as bombastic singles Play and Major System Error attest. “Can you keep it together?” Becca Macintyre asks on the latter.
Macintyre is undoubtedly the star of the show. Her vocals are at turns haunting, hair-raising, hard-hitting, and sometimes they’re all of these things in the same breath. Pseudo-ballad Insomnia is a standout among standouts. “I like juicy, sleepy people walking every step,” she childishly sings before bursts of heavy, foreboding guitars disrupt the trance. It’s fantastically unnerving.
Downsides? There are a couple, like the run-of-the-mill closer Run With The Rhythm, which evokes Biffy Clyro/Twin Atlantic filler. Then there’s the largely superfluous horn embellishment on the otherwise sublime Major System Error. But these are minor gripes. There’s really very little to complain about here.
So no, ‘Knowing What You Know Now’ isn’t perfect, but it represents a further step towards that goal. Like a rollercoaster packed with loops and corkscrews it will leave you gasping for air, but with wide eyes and an ear-to-ear grin.
Marmozets Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Fri February 02 2018 - CARDIFF Tramshed
Sat February 03 2018 - SOUTHAMPTON Engine Rooms
Sun February 04 2018 - BRIGHTON Concorde 2
Tue February 06 2018 - CAMBRIDGE Junction
Wed February 07 2018 - LONDON ULU
Thu February 08 2018 - NOTTINGHAM Rescue Rooms
Fri February 09 2018 - NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE Riverside
Sun February 11 2018 - SHEFFIELD Leadmill
Mon February 12 2018 - EDINBURGH Liquid Room
Thu April 12 2018 - DUBLIN Academy Green Room
Fri April 13 2018 - BELFAST Oh Yeah music Centre
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