Track Listing
1. Float Away
2. Soul
3. Revolution
4. People of the Underground
5. Crying on an Airplane
6. Leaving
7. Shame
8. For All We Know We're Dreaming
9. What 2 Bring
10. Out in Style
| Details | | Contributing Artists: | Bruce Springsteen | | Distributor: | E1 Distribution (USA) | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes
Marah: David Bielanko (vocals, guitar); Serge Bielanko (guitar, background vocals); Jamie Mahon (bass); Jon Kois (drums).
Additional personnel: Nick Brine (vocals, percussion); Caldicott Male Voice Choir, Caroline Lost (vocals); Bruce Springsteen (guitar, background vocals); Mike "Slo-Mo" Brenner, Owen Morris (keyboards); Ade Britteon (sound effects).
Producers: Owen Morris, David Bielanko, Serge Bielanko.
Recorded at Rockfield Studios, Monmouth, Wales, United Kingdom in October 2002 and at The Hit Factory, New York, New York in February 2002.
Personnel: David Bielanko (vocals, guitar); Serge Bielanko (guitar, background vocals); Bruce Springsteen (electric guitar, background vocals); Owen Morris (keyboards).
Audio Mixer: Owen Morris.
Recording information: Rockfield Studios, Monmouth, Wales (10/2001-02/2002); The Hit Factory, New York, NY (10/2001-02/2002).
Contradictory forces battle throughout "Float Away," as the band's spirited performance bogs down repeatedly in murky mixes. Layers of sound clog the midrange; with little edge in the upper register and with the bottom a little dank, there's less impact than listeners might expect from a band with this much soul. The marquee moment, guest backup vocals and a guitar solo from Bruce Springsteen on "Float Away," is almost completely smothered in layers of noisy activity. A comparison of this track with Roy Bittan's fanfare keyboard fills and Max Weinberg's popping backbeat on Springsteen records makes the point unavoidable: more clarity in the sound and economy in the arrangement would do wonders for Marah. Cutting back on the surf-beat handclaps on several tracks would have been a useful first step, while reining in the guitars a bit on "Crying on an Airplane" would breathe some welcome space into the album's only ballad. For all the bravado of their sound, Marah fails to achieve distinction on "Float Away"; perhaps if they didn't echo the Boss quite so much on lyrics like "When I'm out on the street," from "Leaving," they might move more boldly into their own light. ~ Robert L. Doerschuk
Editorial Reviews
3 stars out of 5 - ...the best songs here...seethe with conviction and spirited drama...a bold step forward that bodes well for the future.
Uncut (10/01/2002)
...A record, built from layer upon layer of sound, that is at times anthemic, at times melancholy and at times bombastic--exactly what a rock record should be...
CMJ (07/01/2002)
3 stars out of 5 - ...Track after track starts with or launches into a zooming tunelet recognizable at 50 paces. And how the music does zoom...
Rolling Stone (07/11/2002)
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