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Marineville: Ready for the Dance

The sound of Wellington band Marineville lies somewhere between the songwriting traditions of the Dunedin sound, the drama of Sonic Youth and the angular white boy rock of late ‘70s new wave. This debut album was recorded early this year in an inner-city warehouse threatened for motorway demolition, with the basic tracks played live to keep the music fresh. The result is on-the-spot improvisation in some tracks and mistakes included, which does not detract from the overall sound of the pieces. Listening to opening track Anke you can imagine the band performing late at night in this cold, stark warehouse - an atmosphere of drama and tension prevailing. Marineville swagger, stroll and punch their way through a variety of moods, from the 15 minute epic Yoko Ono, the delicate late night pop of Red Eyed Dream to the dramatic twists and turns of Lazy Eye and Junkie Slip. Guest musicians include Cloudboy’s talented Craig Monk on viola and La Gloria’s John Douglas on trumpet. Listen carefully, because there really are also some very beautiful and delicate moments on this album and lead Mark Willliams’ raw energy and emotive singing style is captivating. August is another song which has a special magic and Zero Pilot is pure grunt full of raw energy and frustrated passion - a song which I just couldn’t get enough of.

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