Young Marble Giants Colossal Youth
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Reviews Rock and Indie
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Thursday, 19 July 2007 |
Music Reviews Artist: These Marble GiantsTitle: Colossal YouthLabel: Domino
  Young Marble Giants were a short-lived three piece from Cardiff who are associated with the early 80’s post punk scene, but whose music had a more ageless quality that has led now to a second re-release of their limited but fresh-sounding material. The last re-issue in the early 1990’s led to production work for the original guitarist Stuart Moxham and afforded the band a nod of recognition and influence in interviews from Nirvana and Hole amongst others.
Well now the ground is fertile again for a more complete compendium of the bands’ output, as a glut of monochrome, minimalist bands have cast a gloomy light back on the decidedly non-heady days of post punk, early drum machines and long raincoats.
This two disc set features their one full length album ‘Colossal Youth’, the collection of demos ‘Salad Days’ and the singles/ E.P’s ‘Final Day’ and ‘Testcard’. Also contained is the ‘Ode to Booker T’ track which first appeared on the ‘Is the War Over’ compilation and served to attract the interest of Rough Trade, the label immediately signing the band and being rewarded with seeing their debut become their second biggest selling album in their (then) short history.
Moxham in an early interview said "When we first started playing we felt almost apologetic because we weren't loud and danceable; we were quiet and slow and melodic and all those things you shouldn't be, especially after punk," and this was best displayed in the detached, yet oddly twee-sounding vocals of Allison Statton. Before elements of the indie scene became consciously innocent and fey, the resonance of her vocal performances lies in that it is set against such a stark ‘thock thock’ of a home-made drum machine, or a sole guitar note – there is untold space in these short tracks – and the silent menace that is hinted at is the total opposite of the warm blanket and whimsy of later acts such as St Etienne.
There are no frills, no filler and no studio tricks here and there is something of beauty in the absence of anything other than the absolute essentials. It is incredible that the attention never wavers across 41 tracks.
A barren landscape can also be a thing of beauty.
Words by: Mark Steel
Editor review : Colossal Collection
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
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Overall rating
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3.6 |
| Originality
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4.0 |
| Lyrics
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3.0 |
| Memorability
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4.0 |
| Melody
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4.0 |
| Production Quality |
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3.0 |
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