Brave - Marillion

I own most of Marillion's albums and this one is the most difficult to listen to. Why? Well, it was written and inspired by the band's imaginings (and real life experiences) of child abuse. In typical progressive rock style, the group invented a young female character whose horrific journey from abused child to troubled teen is chartered in their eleven songs. Not surprisingly, the allbum is the band's darkest and most intense album to date. Whilst many of the songs assume the perspective of the female victim there are less personal songs which, when played alone, are not as difficult to hear. Some of the songs conjure up emotional trauma by using a cacophony ...  Read the complete review

Marillion's concept album "Brave" released early in 1994 broke a fairly long hiatus for the band, following some criticism of their previous album, "Holidays in Eden" from 1991, which was thought of in some quarters as just a bit too poppy, and a triumph of chart-climbing attempts over substance. The result was "Brave", a long, deep and sometimes difficult concept album chronicling the journey in and out of loneliness and despair of a teenage runaway. The lyrics are intelligent and moving without resorting to any manipulative hooks, and the music is enticing- it works its way into your subconscious without you really being aware ...  Read the complete review

If ever there was an album that was underplayed in my CD deck, then this is it. Why? Perhaps because it requires a candle-lit room, some decent hi-fi, and seventy uninterrupted minutes to take in all its subtle nuances and superb musicianship, and let's face it, how often do you get that much time to yourself? But lately I have discovered that two thirty-five minute commutes under the Walkman's influence with the candles softly shedding their light behind my closed eyelids is enough to convince me that the public apathy with which it was received ought to have been investigated by Mulder & Scully... "Brave" is the 1994 third offering from ...  Read the complete review