A Brave Concept (Brave - Marillion)

Member Name: bagoproverbial

Product:	Brave - Marillion
Date:	13/11/07 (87 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very original, deep album

Disadvantages: None

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 of all the littrle nuances that make this a classic.

This is therefore an album that sounds intriguing the first time you listen to it. The second time, you hear a few things you didn't quite pay attention to the first time, and ditto the third time, the fourth time... and so on. In short, this is one of those albums that tends to grow on you the more you listen to it. It has the sort of depth that can be peeled back layer by layer each time you listen- the mark of a masterpiece.

The songs vary greatly, from the rocking "Hard As Love" to the almost ambient soundscapes of "Bridge" and "Goodbye to All That" for example... and then the beautiful paino ballad "The Hollow Man". The full track listing is:

1. Bridge
2. Living with the Big Lie
3. Runaway
4. Goodbye to All That
5. Hard As Love
6. The Hollow Man
7. The Lap of Luxury
8. Now Wash Your Hands
9. Paper Lies
10. Brave
11. The Great Escape
12. The Last of You
13. Fallin' from the Moon
14. Made Again

By Marillion standards this is a difficult, less than straightforward album, with many curious twists and turns. Ambient soundscape builds to haunting ballad which melts into an upbeat rock track... and vice versa, especially where the up-tempo "Paper Lies" fades into the strangely wistful, uplifting bagpipes (fear not, this is bagpipes in a *good* way if you can imagine such a thing) of "Brave".

Finally, the fragile but hopeful strummed ballad "Made Again" rounds off proceedings, bringing the album to an ultimately satisfying end.

I would recommend this album for anyone who doesn't necessarily need their music to be "immediate" in any way and is prepared to listen to the album more than just a couple of times. This is an exquisite piece of work that really does get better with each listen- and as I've owned it for over 13 years, I'm in a good position to make that judgement!

It's also worth making time to listen to this album when you can be sure to have an hour or two to yourself. Draw the curtains, turn the lights down and turn up the stereo- and then just lie back and let the music wash over you.

At this moment I can't think of any other albums quite like this- even by the same band- so it's really something fairly unique. Definitely worth finding, buying and listening to.

Thanks for reading....

Summary: One of Marillion's best pieces of work. A far cry from all that "Kayleigh" rubbish!