Ready for the Dance

fter arranging to record their debut in a New Zealand warehouse, the members of MarineVille (and a few of their closest friends) showed up, broke out their instruments and basically made their songs up on the spot while the little "record" light was flashing. While such a process is not unheard of, playing all the songs live as a band while simultaneously creating arrangements sounds like a haphazard way to put together an album (and a sure-fire road to failure), not to mention a virtual guarantee that the album in question will turn out pretty wanky-sounding. However, MarineVille is apparently one of those bands that can pull off such challenging ideas. In fact, if you didn't know the facts behind their recording session, you'd think their sonic explorations were recorded in a studio, with arrangements already written -- and more importantly, learned.

The only place where the band's improvisational techniques show a bit is in the lengthy closer, "Yoko Ono", which sounds just like a live track (which, technically, it is). It also turns out to be one of the disc's most stirring tracks. Thrashing drums, guitars that feed back and swirl in a most atmospheric sort of way, and unstructured arrangements that veer from subtle to frantic help to create a mood that's probably very much like what you would hear if you saw the group live. It's a perfect display of their no-holds-barred style, which slowly builds upon itself by way of the preceding tracks.

There are some obvious (and admitted) influences here, as on the Sonic Youth-like "Ghost of Bobby Forster", where odd vocal phrasing, reminiscent of Marianne Faithfull as interpreted by Kim Gordon, is on prominent display. "Lazy Eye (And Th' Junkie Slip)" repeats the vocal style, but with the addition of eerie minor chords and driving guitar sections. "Red Eyed Dream", which could easily be taken for a Velvet Underground cover, is another highlight, with a subtle pop melody and a healthy dose of glorious feedback.

There's no influence overkill here; the sound is undeniably MarineVille's own. The off-kilter but supremely perfectly suited vocals and the energetic, in your face instrumentation meld together to create something far above average. Ready For The Dance, besides being a most impressive debut, is about as close to essential listening as you can get.

POSTED BY Mark ON 05 April 2002