Marillion - Marillion.com

The title would suggest that they intended to produce a "commercial" album, whatever that means, but in fact it was knocked together quickly as a tribute to their web fan club, and it's not much more poppy than the last one.

There is a fair share of straight soft rock songs though. "Deserve" is catchy and upbeat and even has a funky horn section at the end, m'lud. Lyrics are of variable quality - from platitudes such as "failure isn't about falling down, it's about staying down" on "Rich" to the tortured, claustrophobic "Interior Lulu". "Built-in Bastard Radar" is a great title, but the bizarre, confused lyrics don't make much more of the idea.

The most beautiful moments are when they strip the mix down to Steve's voice backed by gentle atmospherics, and show off the tingling chord progressions that they do best, like on the haunting "Go" and the heartfelt beginning and end of "A Legacy". "House" is a chilled blues, whose gentle pace manages to fill 10 minutes without going off on any indulgent instrumental tangents. The real extended piece, "Interior Lulu" is full of dynamics and contrasts, and manages to sustain its tension well.

July 12, 2003

8 out of 10

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