Brave [Remastered] - Marillion

If ever there was an album that was underplayed in my CD deck, then this is it. Why? Perhaps because it requires a candle-lit room, some decent hi-fi, and seventy uninterrupted minutes to take in all its subtle nuances and superb musicianship, and let's face it, how often do you get that much time to yourself? But lately I have discovered that two thirty-five minute commutes under the Walkman's influence with the candles softly shedding their light ...
...the public apathy with which it was received ought to have been investigated by Mulder & Scully...

"Brave" is the 1994 third offering from Marillion featuring Steve Hogarth on lead vocals, the seventh studio recording overall. As with the third release of the Fish era, this is a storybook-concept album. A joint lyrical effort by Hogarth and John Helmer, it follows the thoughts of a privileged but lonely young woman who has ... more

If ever there was an album that was underplayed in my CD deck, then this is it. Why? Perhaps because it requires a candle-lit room, some decent hi-fi, and seventy uninterrupted minutes to take in all its subtle nuances and superb musicianship, and let's face it, how often do you get that much time to yourself? But lately I have discovered that two thirty-five minute commutes under the Walkman's influence with the candles softly shedding their light behind my closed eyelids is enough to convince me that the public apathy with which it was received ought to have been investigated by Mulder & Scully...

"Brave" is the 1994 third offering from Marillion featuring Steve Hogarth on lead vocals, the seventh studio recording overall. As with the third release of the Fish era, this is a storybook-concept album. A joint lyrical effort by Hogarth and John Helmer, it follows the thoughts of a privileged but lonely young woman who has apparently decided that life just isn't worth it. There is no better way to describe the scene as the curtain raises than to quote Hogarth's suitably dispassionately delivered lyrics, so I won't try:

"Staring out over the bridge
A million photo-flashes from the water down below
Dawn light bouncing through the mist
Roar of traffic and the crack of police radios
And they ask her name
Could she please explain?
She simply chooses to say
Nothing"

It's then that we first hear Steve Rothery's trademark ethereal strings, which sound distinctly eerie in the heavily-echoed staccato delivery. A subtle showered crescendo from one of Ian Mosely's high cymbals; a gentle murmur from Pete Trewavas' bass; the return of Mark Kelly from mood-setting duty on keyboards - and a journey through the stormy seas of childhood trauma, teenage angst and beyond, guided by Hogarth's exquisite vocal talent, is underway.

As the story unfolds, the music reflects the woman's mood; sometimes angry, sometimes quietly reflective, and ultimately... well now, that would be telling. You wouldn't want me to give away the ending to a story written on the printed page, would you? Why should a story written on the stave be any different? Yes, there are track marks and suchlike, but they're essentially unimportant; bookmarks only. Make no mistake, "Brave" is a cohesive whole.

It took eight months to write this album, and another seven months to record it. What emerged from the chrysalis is an aurally stunning masterpiece with many musical highlights; the incredible crescendo of "Runaway", the tripping drums and claustrophobic vocals of "Goodbye To All That" and the sheer compelling energy of "The Great Escape" to name but three. While the band were busy composing, Messrs. Hogarth & Helmer were obviously putting a great deal of effort into the lyrical side. Consider the following:

"When you look into the mirror do you see a face you hardly recognise?
If you look into the sun too long do the things you see begin to burn your eyes?"

and

"Just to express what he's thinking must a man take all the mail will bring?
Are we living only for today? It's a sign of the times that we believe everything and nothing"

Standard angst fare, you might think. But here's the twist - these lyrics are taken from a track called "Paper Lies". Now, have another look and do your own capitalisation - did you spot all six, folks?

This is far from being the only example of skillful writing. In "The Hollow Man", Hogarth takes a most eloquent look at the effects of society on the psyche; "the outside feeding on my inside". It is a song to provoke self-examination; the understated piano accompaniment allows every word to drop clearly into place.

I have listened to "Brave" countless times, and yet I am still unsure of how it actually ends. Obviously I have heard the closing notes of "Made Again", but does the woman live, or does she die? Buy this album, light the candles, then tell me what *you* think.

Track listing:
Bridge, Living With the Big Lie, Runaway, Goodbye To All That, Hard As Love, The Hollow Man, Alone Again in the Lap of Luxury, Paper Lies, Brave, The Great Escape, Made Again 

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