LESS IS MORE

I was a fan of the "old" Marillion with Fish as the singer. And although I enjoyed "Brave", I never followed Marillion's releases with Steve Hogarth after that. Somebody recommended "More is Less" to me, so I thought I would give it a try. It was a totally "fresh" approach, because I didn't know most of the original material. So for me it was less a question whether the songs will work with a minimalistic arrangement, but more whether the compositions are their real value.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, the answer to both questions is no. I found the whole album rather boring. There wasn't a single passage which attracted my attention. While listening I either found my mind wandering off or having thoughts like "how often can you repeat a riff?" or "shall I skip to the next song?". I didn't, hoping that there would be at least a little something to release me. Finally the hidden track "Cannibal Surf Babe" made me switch off. Thanks, but no thanks.

I also can't help the feeling that the title of the album is nonsense. If "Less" would be "More", why doesn't Marillion always release their albums using this style? Easy: "Less" isn't always "More", and especially in this case it is true.

Disappointing.