Friday 17 May 2013

The Space (Marillion, 1989)

This is the last track on the first Hogarth's era Marillion album. And it's one of the nicest tracks from this band, so full of tension and vibrations. H sings it eagerly and all the melody's parts are beautiful: a stretched verse, then a strong bridge, finally what seems to be the bombastic chorus.  But, wait a moment, what a surprise: after an atmospheric instrumental passage, here comes the real chorus, sung with a shrill, piercing voice.

Season End came with a cover by Bill Smith Studio.

I highly recommend the live versions of the song, where this surprising finale is further expanded and enriched. Hogarth himself often explained the lyrics of this song are about indifference and incommunicability of human experiences, something he wondered about seeing a tram in Amsterdam crushing a car without even noticing what was happening. Maybe we're all like that tram, going on our way and unable to realise the surrounding world and lives and when we see all that, when we get through our ego, we are overwhelmed by a frightening sense of wonder. I like this song and I can't help shivering each time I listen to it.

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