Hasten. Marlin's Dreaming

Marlin's Dreaming debuted on this blog with thanks to Erwin Zijleman. His review triggered me into listening and buying 'Quotidian' near immediately. So when, rather belatedly after the initial release, Flying Nun Records announced it had the vinyl version in store, I did not fly to Wellington to buy it, but got the digital version from the band's Bandcamp site instead.

Hasten is everything the title does not stand for. Hasten is the absolute opposite of the fast lane. Marlin's Dreaming takes its time to play out its new songs. Mid tempo with loads of embellishments. Without throwing a divers set of instruments into the mix. Far from, this is basically the band with perhaps a guitar or two overdub, but that's it. The instruments play their parts supporting the dreamily sung vocals. Should you prefer some names to compare, I'd give you Midlake at the time of 'Van Occupanther', Teenage Fanclub of the 90s and The Posies without the rocking, so, yes, Big Star as well. Vocally there's even something of Snow Patrol in there to finish my comparisons. Dunedin, the band's hometown, is not equal to living under a stone where listening to the better kind of pop music is concerned, but it is also irrelevant. Marlin's Dreaming is its own force.

Dunedin is on New Zealand's south island. A fairly isolated place when seen from a global perspective, as there's not that much more south to go as well. In a way its music can be looked at from this angle. This band is not out to impress in the traditional way. The music is doing the talking and it talks alright. Where the line up is concerned, I could only find information from 2020 at the time of the release of Quotidian, but let me assume it has not changed. Vocals/guitar, Semisi Maiai, guitar/backing vocals, Leith Towers, bass, Oscar Johns and percussion, Hamish Morgan. There is not much more than this line up on Hasten to find. The surprises are in the intricate arrangements you find on the record. Notes and chords that go just a little against what I would expect from perfect pop songs. Merlin's Dreaming does write them, in its own way and on its own conditions.

Over this attempted perfection it sprinkles its own magic. And that magic makes the music more urgent and exciting. Because not everything is shiny and beautiful, yet is and that is part of the magic. The slowly played lead guitar melodies, often on the deeper strings create a musical world that is more mysterious. Maiai's singing is slow and lingering adding to the mysterious atmosphere hovering through the songs.

The overall result is that Hasten sucks the listener into its world. (S)he will want to follow the intricate arrangements, the soft vocal and its melody, to become surprised when a song does explode, as in 'Cliffs', mixed in a way so it remains a modest explosion. The musical surprises are there in each song, All brought to you without any hurry in the world. The only hasten I would advice on here, is running to the record store to buy the record. After that, take your time to get home, put the record and install yourself so you can be swept into the musical universe of Marlin's Dreaming. It seems I cannot get enough of it.

Wout de Natris