ANORAKNOPHOBIA

The perfect combination between Marillion's pop leanings and their progressive rock roots - this is 2001's 'Anoraknophobia', a brilliant exercise in contemporary, challenging, and inventive art rock by a very experienced band at that time, with eleven studio releases already behind its back, this one is a drastic step forward and one of the most underappreciated gems in their entire discography. With its borderline alt rock edge, and prevailing emotiveness and sensuality, 'Anoraknophobia' might easily remind the listener of some Pink Floyd but with a very gentle and caressing twist, while keeping you hooked all the time, as you never know in which direction the songs will go (their mellower character does not mean that the suspense is lacking, in fact, this is one of the most diverse albums by the band). Not to mention the live versions throughout the years of all of the eight tracks represented here, allowing the band to improvise and be playful, this has to be yet another proof of how excellent this early 2000s album is.

Opening up with the joyful and even hippie-ish 'Between You and Me', this poppier track sets a very interesting tone, being an uplifting and memorable song by itself, it is Pete Trewavas and his masterful bass that make a big difference in not only this track, but the whole album, as he seems to be more dominant than in other Marillion releases. The gorgeous 9-minute mini-epic 'Quartz' comes next, one of h's most relatable stories, and of the most intriguing songs by this band ever, whether you enjoy the studio version, or you are seeing them play it live - it simply has all you might want from this incarnation of the so-called neo-proggers - lustrous instrumentation, intelligent, yet memorable lyrics, elegant guitars, chunky bass parts, and an all-encompassing peaceful aura, allowing you to sink into the compositions and let the band guide you through their beautiful stories, and it is exactly the storytelling element that makes 'Anoraknophobia' so compelling and majestic. Next up is the more accessible 'Map of the World', an almost 90s dream pop tune, it fits well into the album structure. Next is 'When I Meet God', another 9-minute song, very dreamy and much slower than the rest of the album, it is a lovely piece of Marillion brilliance, with the keyboards leading the way here, building up a melancholic background for the rest of the band, especially for Steve H, who sounds quite astonishing.

'The Fruit of the Wild Rose' might be the least well-known song off this album, making it all the more precious, with the jazzier bits by Mark Kelly and Ian Mosley, it is quite a serene composition, where the vocals being especially gorgeous once again. Then comes 'Separated Out', a very 2000s alt rock-sounding song, maybe not that catchy and probably not the best one the band has ever done, but just good. 'This is the 21st Century', on the other hand, might be considered the pinnacle of this album, with the spacey and romantic atmosphere, it is among the most sensual offerings of Marillion, an astonishing art rock achievement, that has been interpreted differently live several times throughout the years - simply one of the all-time masterpieces of the band's h-era. Finally, we have 'If My Heart Were a Ball It Would Roll Uphill', a no less excellent song, and a great album closer, the bass here is simply divine, the guitars are incredible, the vocals are too impressive, and the song is a killer, nothing more needs to be said.

Put simply, 'Anoraknophobia' is a tremendous album, one of Marillion's best-sounding recordings, very contemporary, immensely enjoyable and engaging, occasionally futuristic, sometimes seductive and introspective, this album is an emotional rollercoaster, and one that only this band could create. Each of the band members is at the top of their game, performing flawlessly, the songs are mostly untouchable, some absolutely ingenious, and the pleasure of experiencing this one hour is hardly describable, as you just have to immerse yourself in Anorak's atmosphere.