Review of The Weird And Wonderful Marmozets Album by Marmozet

You've probably heard Marmozets' name crop up quite a bit in recent years, especially in rock circles. The Yorkshire five piece have had a very impressive rise in success especially for a band just releasing their debut album, having played many a festival, getting radio play and signing to rock/metal powerhouse Roadrunner Records. This is all thanks to their super lively shows as well as their EP'S 'Passive Aggressive' and 'Vexed' which have a unique combination of math-rock and poppy rock, which proved very powerful. Their creativity has only increased with 'The Weird And Wonderful'.

Marmozet The Weird And Wonderful Marmozets Album

We get off to a jangly start with 'Born Young And Free'. The lyrics are quite dumb and simple with the words 'Young' and 'Free' being thrown around a lot as if vocalist Becca Macintyre decided to take this theme but never bother to build on it, however that can be that forgiven because the guitars are solid and make math rock heroes The Fall Of Troy spring to mind being equally jumpy and confrontational as they are poppy. The low guttural screams towards the end are unexpected, even if you're familiar with band's formula.  'Why Do You Hate Me?' takes us down a great bouncy poppy rock route, with a riff that swings back and forth which you can't resist moving your feet to. Again the lyrics aren't outstanding and you feel are going to be a problem on this album, however the chorus has a great memorable hook with 'every little word you say' sang with some sass. 'Captivate You' throws an even bigger spanner in the works, by softening up extremely due to gentle minimalism in the guitars and Macintyre chilling out with her vocals and lyrics, singing about more romantic themes.

'Particle' gives the album a massive adrenaline boost with a meaty and driven bassline and the catchiest chorus on the album that breaks from the rest of the song's aggression like a ray of light. The breakdown on this is also killer, with the guitars practically galloping and throwing in some sharp bends. 'Cry' is almost like a comedown after 'Particle' and is as soft and brooding as the title suggests. It's not amazing, but it's a pretty decent piano led song with some added guitar noodling and stabs towards the end, making it more interesting. Macintyre's vocals are robotic and dramatic in said jumpy bridge, making the song much more memorable. 

The title track springs the album back into action, with Biffy Clyro esque riffs, that switch between being angular and tuneful, but it's nothing compared to 'Vibetech' which is the strongest track on the album or at least the most bombastic/energetic which sounds like The Dillinger Escape Plan wresting Muse at their rockiest, with the riffs being unable to decide whether to be high and stabby or gigantic and groove driven, not to mention Macintyre giving the most manic vocal delivery on the album, constantly screeching the lines 'my tries are done with did I let it show' and 'your disappointment is rotting me to the bone' like a banshee. 'Love You Good' changes things up once again, thanks to a strong early Artic Monkeys influence with lively and memorable bounciness due to the crawling palm-muted riffs building up the big ones that balance being stompy and hypnotic. 

'The Weird And Wonderful' ends well, but also anti-climactic with 'Back To You'. It's a good song that's breezy and summery with its delayed guitars, however it feels dull considering it's followed the album's most energetic tracks. You get a sense of closure with this slower track, but it may have been more effective to have one of the heavier songs in its place.

Overall, this a fine debut album from Marmozets, one that justifies their hype. The only real problem with it, is there's nothing great about the lyrics for the most part. Macintyre relies on repetition a great deal, and repetition can be useful at making the songs memorable, but it can also make you tired of them. Take 'Back To You' for instance where you feel you could remove half the time she sings 'I'm coming back to you' and still have that line beaten in your head. It's a minor nag though, and one you won't care that much about because this album is very energetic, features plenty of killer riffs and is diverse (which you can probably tell from the amount of bands mentioned in this review). This is seemingly what Marmozets have always set out to achieve. Consider their mission accomplished and enjoy it.

Rating: 4/5

Max Cussons


Official Site - http://www.marmozets.co.uk

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