Album Review: Marigold – self-titled
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Buffalo, NY Folk-Rockers, Marigold, have returned with their sophomore, self-titled, LP. High off the release of their bolstering debut, Counterfeit Art, Marigold, whose sole member is Benjamin Lieber, are portraying their eclecticism in music. Hot out the gates with the song “Departure”, Lieber is showing that this is the same Marigold, but with a new spin.
What’s so compelling about this record is the way it widens the scope of expectation for this project, without boxing itself in nor straying from what can be understood and accepted as music from Marigold. It’s similar to the way that Bon Iver can depart drastically from a previous record, but there is still a panache about it that makes it Bon Iver. Lieber has managed the same confidence in this music and at the end of the day it will always be Marigold.
In the way that Counterfeit Art bombarded the ears like a Foo Fighters record, Marigold is somber and soothing to the likes of Bob Dylan. It’s folky and honest. It’s comfortable and homey, but toes genre lines. Every song is different and beautiful and brings something new to the record. There are head-boppers and tear jerkers alike, it’s a complete and whole work of art. At times it feels like Lieber is right in your face, singing directly to the listener while contrastingly there are huge, arena rock breaks that harken back to the size of sound from Counterfeit Art. This is best heard in “Sedentary”, a simple orchestration of parts that blasts into a bombastic and triumphant bridge towards the latter half of the song.
Like the record it follows, Marigold is well produced and the sonic aesthetic of the record matches very evenly with the themes and stylings of the songs themselves. There a richness to Lieber’s voice and a great warmth over all of the vibrant acoustic guitar. It doesn’t push any production boundaries, but every song serves it’s purpose with a clean and sincere mix that blooms and broadens the sonic sphere of the project thus far.
The self-titled record is a phenomenal venture into the singer-songwriter sonic landscape for Marigold. It’s witty and clever all around and so well written it hurts. These songs are infectious in every way imaginable, as they are easy to hum or sing along to. There is such a wide span of style within each song that it isn’t hard to find something to fall in love with.
Disappointing / Average / Good / Great / Phenomenal
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Jacob Fishman | @jacobafishman
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