Having spent the last five years as a member of bands such as Eyes & No Eyes and Sons of Noel and Adrian, or working as a session musician on a wide variety of other projects, multi-instrumentalist Marcus Hamblett has now released his solo debut record in the form of Concrete. It's very easy to concur with the idea that the album almost has the feel of a soundtrack to an imaginary film, and particularly in the vein of acknowledged influences Ennio Morricone and Bruno Nicolai. Primarily though it serves as the perfect creative vessel for Hamblett to take listeners on a journey this time entirely of his own choosing.
“Nocturne” sees the journey get underway with its soft jazzy drums gradually allowing a few beautiful, delicate guitar arrangements to float dreamily into the mix before it all suddenly gives way to an impressive piece of guitar improvisation which then, even more abruptly, takes you straight into “Skeleton Key”. This one offers something more in line with the first half of the opening track and successfully conjures up undeniable feelings of actually being somewhere and doing something. In my case I was travelling around a city at night, maybe in the back of a taxi or on a bus, seeing the sights, and visiting a few bars. On further listens I just as easily pictured myself up in space staring down at the Earth, or in a western riding around the country on horseback.
By comparison, the latter part of “Nocturne” and the brief “Be New” offer little towards the atmosphere Hamblett does so well to create throughout the rest of the album. Obviously there's undoubted virtuosity on show here, but if that isn't your cup of tea you might well find yourself, like me, awakening from a very pleasant dream during these moments.
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Fortunately the rest of the album goes from strength to strength at this point onwards. “Three Four” very quickly lets you know that it plans to linger in your mind - like the shred of a memory for a brilliant idea now destined to remain forgotten. A stand out track on the album for sure, it moves through its mysterious and secretly sinister guitar arrangements, before allowing the final minutes to play out with beautiful, yet haunting, female vocals.
“Augmented” gives the album a much-welcomed new dimension as well when, at around the half way point, it descends into a surreal collage of sound which sees instruments begin to fade somewhat chaotically in and out of the mix, as well as expertly reintroducing a few familiar guitar arrangements from “Nocturne” along the way. Lastly, the ten minute “Stony Ground” is another epic musical daydream that unfolds with celestial guitars and angelic vocals, as Hamblett saves probably his best till last and provides the album with a fitting finale.
On the whole the album definitely grows on you with every listen and offers much in the way of escapism – if you enjoy sitting back and letting the music take your mind for a wander then this is definitely one for you.
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