Review Summary: Grab a drink and watch what it’s like to feel alive.
A year or so ago, as I was listening to Marmozets’ debut album for what had to have been the hundredth time, I remember thinking to myself: “I wonder if they’ll ever make a comeback.” The four-piece (formerly five-piece) West Yorkshire group made one hell of a mark with 2014’s
The Weird And Wonderful Marmozets (what I consider to be one of the best debut albums from the 2010s), but stumbled a bit with their follow-up release,
Knowing What You Know Now. From there, the band took a hiatus of sorts, resulting in years of radio silence. Then came
A Kiss From A Mother - a song which, by my own admission, had me wondering “what the fuck did I just listen to” (but in the best way possible). The track opens with Ennio Morricone-esque whistling, followed by rapidly building drums, before exploding into a gothic, danceable, energetic tune. Simply put, this song was entirely new territory for the group, and unlike anything they had released to that point. With the subsequent announcement of their comeback album,
CO.WAR.DICE, Marmozets had gone from having my curiosity to demanding my attention.
Let’s get one thing out of the way - if you’re expecting a “return to form” in the sense of
CO.WAR.DICE sounding anything like Marmozets’ debut, you’re going to feel disappointed. To put it bluntly, the instrumental technicality, as well as the overall heaviness from their debut is mostly nowhere to be found on
CO.WAR.DICE. The thing is -
CO.WAR.DICE is enjoyable enough on its own terms for me to say confidently that the changes in sound are completely welcome. One of the most surprising elements of this album is just how danceable the whole thing is.
Cut Back,
Running With The Sun In Your Eyes and
Like Last Night all feature some of the band’s catchiest choruses to date, and you’ll find yourself tapping your toes to them within minutes. Jack Bottomley’s guitarwork is also a notable highlight throughout
CO.WAR.DICE. Everything from the soft acoustic guitar of
Dandy to the electrifying riff of
New York is performed to a stellar degree. Rebecca Bottomley also delivers a tour-de-force vocal performance on the album; on no song is this more apparent than the fiery
Mes Desirs, whose goosebump-inducing conclusion is led by Rebecca’s confident, powerful voice.
There are a few moments on
CO.WAR.DICE where the band dials the energy back as well. The aforementioned
Dandy is the “token ballad” of the album, but the dynamic between Jack’s guitar and Rebecca’s vocals is simply too good to not fall in love with.
Flowers is another well-composed lower-energy track, featuring a surprisingly infectious chorus and opening riff; however, its ending is rather abrupt and will leave you wishing it continued for another minute or two.
As much fun as
CO.WAR.DICE is, it unfortunately comes with a few flaws.
Tell Me I’m Alive is far from being a bad song, but it’s definitely not as memorable as the rest, and it’s the closest the album comes to stalling in energy. Also, the album’s closing track,
Keep Going Darling is somewhat of a mixed bag. On one hand, I think the band deserves credit for being ambitious enough to close
CO.WAR.DICE with a nearly 8-minute song, which is uncharted territory for the group. It also has a very uplifting message to tell; but despite its admirable ambition, the lengthy runtime isn’t put to efficient use. The song would’ve likely been better off with a couple minutes shaved off. However, these complaints are few and far between, and feel more like nitpicks than genuine criticism of the band’s efforts.
At the end of the day,
CO.WAR.DICE is a triumphant return for Marmozets. Its infectious energy, danceable choruses, and overall high level of musicianship all contribute to this being one of my favorite comeback albums in recent memory. If you yearn for the old, mathy post-hardcore that the band used to be known for, you might be let down; however, I urge even the most hesitant listeners to give this a shot. Even if the group has become a little less weird over time, they’re still every bit as wonderful.
4 out of 5
