MarsupiaL — Genus Thylacinus
When your aspiration is to traverse as many musical boundaries as possible, there is bound to be some friction along the way. As one of the most prominent members of the North Carolina progressive scene (see also: jam band), Asheville’s MarsupiaL (www.marsupialmusic.com) has successfully melded rock, jazz, Southern roots and whatever else happens to strike them into four albums of worthy musical praise to their pronounced influences.
Their latest, Genus Thylacinus, bears the imprint of years spent immersed in the sounds of the Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa and King Crimson — eight tracks of sharply produced and well-polished playing. But like a lot of prog rock, it sometimes just doesn’t seem to go anywhere. The opening track “Lead On” seems to speak to their propensity to break down musical barriers in their work, but while the five-minute instrumental bridge sounds nice, it’s purpose to the piece is somewhat dubious. Pair that with the nine-minute “Naked in the Hall of Seduction” and the album seems repetitive and formulaic at worst. At best, however, their instrumentation is inspired and stimulating. “Sucker Punch” is a forceful sludge-rock instrumental that brings most of the album’s hard bite, while “In Between” is an island-flavored quickhitter that offers a much needed break from the extended jams. It ends on a lyrical high note with “There Is a Better World,” an evocative track about letting go. Applaud them for being able to shift directions as an entire unit on a dime, though exploration merely for exploration’s sake can easily get you lost.
by Ryan Snyder
MarsupiaL
Genus Thylacinus
Release Date: March 24, 2009
Produced by: J Ferris and MarsupiaL
Format: CD
MarsupiaL is a band from North Carolina that taps into the soundstream of the ’70s. Their 4th album, an 8-song work named Genus Thylacinus, wonderfully blends the musical styles of Pink Floyd and Dire Straits that leaves no doubt as to their period of influence. Considered Prog-Rock, although I find that pigeon-hole a bit too confining for this band, this album delivers two large songs clocking over 8-minutes in length (one at 9:39, “Naked in the Hall of Seduction”).
The album opens with one of those songs (“Lead On” - 8:46). The song begins much as Mark Knopfler might begin one but then moves into deeper territory with accomplished guitar work and a multi-path musical force. It soon slips into a Pink Floyd-like piece. It leaves a pleasant feel as the album moves through its content. And for all of that, the band touches on a country feel in their vocals as heard on the album’s second track, “The Man Who Knows Things,” providing an Eagles-like experience.
“Naked in the Hall of Seduction” doesn’t seem to speak as well as the other songs of what this band is surely capable of, but the following “In Between,” an obvious single choice from this album leads the band into smaller, more accessible selections.
I find Genus Thylacinus to be a super album, one to be visited. It’s a bit hard to classify this band for people looking for such a thing however, if you are a ’70s fan, that starts you on the right path. Many of the songs have a Pop appeal and so the album has track download-ability.
MarsupiaL is the kind of band that we like stumbling on, a feat necessary as they release their own albums, and thus very dependent on sites like MusicTAP to gain them exposure. MarsupiaL earns this exposure with their excellent new album.
