The Program

Marion

explicit

Released on 02-10-1998 by London Music Stream - Because Music
Main artists: Marion
Genre: Alternative en Indie

Available in

16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo

Unlimited Streaming

Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps

Start my trial period and start listening to this album

Enjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription

Digital Download

Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.

Shuddering in with a roiling solo guitar and a slow, doomy rhythm before amping up the energy and activity in the rest of "Smile," The Program makes for a strong second effort from Marion. Arguably it's a much more successful record than This World and Body, keeping the immediate, sudden joys of that album with a much more nuanced performance from Jaime Harding in particular. His higher registers aren't as overwhelming, and his singing in general sounds far more natural, knowing when to breathe and relax as much as when to shoot forth. The Tony Grantham/Phil Cunningham guitar team still sounds great; there are more than enough moments to show that they might be among Brit-pop's least appreciated fretbenders. If not quite on the same level of Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood in terms of tweaking with their chosen instruments, their performances throw in a wide array of sudden surprises, building on their earlier efforts with attractive results. Johnny Marr's production work likely helped on these and other fronts; the sound is generally warmer than Al Clay's earlier work without sacrificing visceral impact. "Miyako Hideaway," the lead single, is a fair effort with a slightly dreamy midsection highlighted by a gentle echo for Harding's singing, but the best songs are elsewhere on the disc. "What Are We Waiting For?" in particular is a treasure. With an opening guitar figure that could be from a Cocteau Twins song and a fine vocal from Harding, it leads into a repetition of the title at the end over a soft but propulsive arrangement from the band as a whole. It's true subtlety from the band at last, and it works wonders. Other winners include the brisk acoustic/electric guitar combination on "Sparkle," which unsurprisingly was released as a single later (admittedly only in Japan), and the low-key energy of the title track.

© Ned Raggett /TiVo

More info

The Program

Marion

You are currently listening to samples.

Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.

Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.

From 13,50€/month

The Smile