Prepare for adventure – Geography A, the debut album from indie pop duo Marble Raft, is here. Our Swedish friends stand hand in hand through 9 songs, leading each other – and us – on a majestic musical journey full of texture, melody, and imagination.
The album takes you to places you know you’ve never been before, but with such powerful imagery they feel oddly familiar. Each song is a new world to explore, each with its own landscapes, adventures, and challenges. Along the way, the group recount their own memories and sights from the trip – open seas, lands of fire and ice, wildlife, stolen rhum, nearly falling overboard (maybe just a coincidence?) The duo’s penchant for actual exploration is complemented by their melodic exploration, never losing their passion and optimism no matter where they find themselves. The lyrics are dense and descriptive, but they leave just enough blanks for the listener to fill in and lose themselves in these worlds as well. Great writers show but don’t tell, tell but don’t show; plenty is left to the imagination of the audience, but Marble Raft give us some great starting points.
Incorporating a vocal dynamic à la Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros mixed with a bit of Coldplay-esque atmospheric textures, these songs don’t exist in our world. A standout track is “Northern to Southern Hemisphere,” with its drunken piano and playful, synthetic mini orchestra creating a world so sunny and inviting you’ll be booking your flight tomorrow. However the single, “Guiding Stars,” embodies the main theme of the entire album – this journey may be difficult, we might get tired and homesick, “but hey, we will be okay.”
With Geography A, Marble Raft accomplishes the goal of any artist – transporting you from your world into theirs, and holding your attention for the entirety of the ride. Their friendly voices invite you to put their trust in them with the promise of being rewarded beyond your imagination. By the end of the album you’ll be a little older, a little wiser, and grateful you took the leap to go on this adventure.
Written by Tim Clark
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