Marshan - Songs From Southern And Baseline
2004 - Funbag Records
By Philip Whitehouse
When I'm getting fed up of hearing dodgy power metal or grim black metal bands (which seem to arrive through my letterbox by the truckload), I can always count on Plastic Head Distribution to swing me something weird from one of the myriad of labels under their wing. Usually I can't review these oddities (how many people on this site would read a review of a hip-hop band called
Cooker, for instance?), but
Marshan might interest a few of you out there. They're a Scottish quartet who kick out the Southern-fried bluesy hard rock with a rare talent, and this disc is a celebration of dirty rock 'n' roll grooves, blues-scale lead breaks and don't-give-a-shit attitude. Which is great, obviously.
This is an eclectic bunch of songs - one minute reeking of
Crosby, Stills & Nash while happily floating along on 60s hippy-esque psychedelic grooves the next, but it all hangs together in a satisfying whole. The harmonicas within the cotton-picking acoustic stylings of 'Sweet Things Suck' fit as perfectly as the vocal harmonies and jaunty pianos within the headtrip of a stoner rocker that is 'Roger, Heat The Plate'. I'd love to see these guys playing in some whiskey-swigging, sawdust on the floor venue just to witness them in what would presumably be their ideal environment.
It's obviously not going to be to everyone's tastes - there are no double-bass drums or tortured howls about strangling people with their own entrails here, don't you know - but for those looking for a fast-track back to our music's roots and have a foot-stomping good time along with it, you could do far worse than check these guys out.
7.5/10
Marshan Official Website
Funbag Records Website
