MARS HOLLOW

The debut self-titled album from Mars Hollow really brings nothing new or extraordinary to progressive (or any genre) music. Overall this album is average, but you may be thinking "why give it a slightly above average rating?" Well let me elaborate for you!

Musically this album fits comfortably within the realm of a rock album with progressive tinges. Aside from being buried in obscurity to anyone outside of the prog community, this album could be handed to any 70s rock fan and they would more than likely enjoy it just as much as any prog fan. The music never gets exceedingly crazy or overly progressive to the point where it would be uncomfortable to anyone not already accustomed to hearing swift changes in tuning or tempos. While the music may remain fairly consistent and seemingly simple throughout most of the album, there are parts where the real potential of this band rears its head and provides a nice surprise to prog fans. Suddenly things begin to resemble classic 70s progressive music with excellent (and audible!) bass sections that accompany improved and more energetic drumming sections. The most exciting moments on this album lie within the music when the vocals break and a solo and extended sort of jam session begins between the musicians. Granted there are songs on this album that have nice musical sections where the vocals overlap as well, but the solo/jamming sessions tease the listener with the allure and possibility of musical grandeur.

The vocals and the lyrics, again, remain nothing out of the ordinary and would please any rock fan. The vocals stay within the same pitch throughout the album with little variation. They never get very high or very low but there are nice inflections here and there and fit and change nicely with the music. The lyrics on this album are also average. I don't see them inspiring anyone or bringing light to a dark day; however, they're not silly or unbearable, but they are easy and fun to sing along with.

After all this talk of everything being average, why with the rating then? Well I'm getting there! This album may come off as deceptively simple and nothing more than background music for when you're stuck with your parents in the car; nevertheless, this album remains to be a fun listen and consistently fresh after every play. The only downside to this album that I can possibly think of is that the album plays best when listened to start to finish. When a track is played individually it seems to lose a lot of the charm that comes from hearing it being played as part of a whole. That being said, I have to say this album is somewhat of a gem in that while it comes off as mediocre initially it builds up into something else entirely.