Marsupial: Genus Thylacinus Review

When it comes to music, simplicity is often confused for a lack of ability. The confusion often leads to a backlash against pop music due to its simplistic nature. What many fail to realize is that simplicity is often the greatest asset an artist can use. Take for instance John Lennon’s unforgettable “Imagine” which is a milestone for showcasing the power of simplicity. Sticking with Lennon, take Phil Spector’s wall of sound on Let it Be versus the remastered Let it Be...Naked which stripped the over-the-top production from the music - the latter easily trumps the prior, and gives yet another reason for why Spector deserves to be imprisoned. Then there are Jam Bands who are known to lose site of the core melody and song structure by going into ten minutes of aimless noodling which ultimately leads to a seemingly endless bore-fest. Marsupial’s Genus Thylacinus is a solid album with an array of eclectic genres and at its core, incredible songs, but it's held together by the hollow shell that is the Jam Band genre.

Genus Thylacinus is comprised of a wide range of song types that can quickly go from country twang to hard rock riffs. Each variation sounds impeccable, and Marsupial never loses a step regardless of what ground they cover. However, the songs are great at their core. The melodies are fantastic, the acoustic moments are soothing, the heavy riffs are rocking, but far too often we find the band delving into the long jam sessions which ultimately bog down these wonderful songs. For a good portion of the album the jam session are tolerable, but in the end, Marsupial would have been best served cutting them out.

This album will quickly have you putting on your cowboy boots, then trading them in for your metal mullet, and pulling out your weed soaked Grateful Dead tie-dye shirt. Deep down this is a stellar album, but the long strings of mindless meandering noodling drag the songs through the mud, which is quite sad considering how fantastic these songs are minus the long winded solos.

Grade: B