SOUNDS THAT CAN'T BE MADE

Steve Hogarth and company have managed an interesting trick on Sounds That Can't Be Made, a record that's both maudlin ("Pour My Love" and "Lucky Man" being the most obvious examples) and stridently political (opener, and longest track, "Gaza"). Meaning, on the whole, Sounds doesn't quite gel. "Gaza" could have been a standalone single, perhaps having a complementary backing side. Longer cuts, "Montreal" and the closing "The Sky above the Rain," while both being well-executed, don't manage to quicken the pulse or break any new sonic ground. Sounds, then, is Marillion in fine mid-tempo mode, save for that queer duck of an arresting opener, which then begs the question: What sort of album were the boys aiming for, anyway?