Mars Hollow - World In Front of Me

Release Year: 2011

Track Listing:
Walk On Alone (12:31)
Voices (6:23)
Weapon (6:52)
What Have I Done (5:56)
Mind Over Matter (2:27)
Prelude (1:48)
World In Front of Me (11:18)

Riding on the success of their debut album, which was received with much enthusiasm by the Progressive Rock community, Mars Hollow is back with another collection of exceptionally good music. World In Front of Me was presented at the Rites of Spring festival (Rosfest) in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on May 21, 2011, where the band played to an appreciative audience. This second album shows no symptoms of a “Sophomore Curse”. In fact, it exceeds the quality of their debut album in music, lyrics, and production.

One of the first things a listener will notice are the amazing vocal tracks. Lead singer, John Baker, delivers clarity and control of every note, with an occasional genuflection emphasizing certain letters, especially “r” and most vowels. This is his signature sound and sets him apart from the more famous vocalists to whom he has been compared. Mr. Baker shows more passion and emotion on this album, bringing the deep lyrics to life. There also are some amazing harmonies on this album with the rest of the band, most notably Kerry Chicoine. The first song, Walk On Alone, starts off with all four members singing a few lines in perfect harmony and includes sounds later in the song where they are singing “under water”. (The song involves a lost love, perhaps by drowning?)

Mr. Baker is also a fine guitarist, demonstrating precise finger play on the fret board, especially when the music gets more complicated. Keyboardist Steve Mauk shines with amazing symphonic talent and sets the mood for each song, which are mostly dark. He infuses the music with an uptempo energy throughout the album. Bassist Kerry Chicoine provides a strong foundation for much of the music. While he displays fun showmanship on stage, he is serious in the studio. He is never lost in the mix. In fact, he leads it! Listeners can discover the obviousness of this by turning up the bass on their car stereo and feeling every beat going up their spine. Likewise, hard working drummer Jerry Beller delivers the goods on each song, in partnership with Mr. Chicoine, providing exceptional rhythm for this album.

The songs themselves are intense and personal. None of them are weak or filler material. Each one tells a story, some of which are twisted, such as the assumed drowning in Walk On Alone, and the mentally insane serial killer in Voices. (I say “assumed” because there is are no lyrics in the liner notes, so one must interpret the themes based on the emotions each song conjures up.) All this darkness ends in light, however, on the title cut at the end of the album. It offers up a far more positive theme beginning with Mr. Mauk’s sweet Prelude and then soaring higher into the brighter World In Front of Me.

My personal favorite is What Have I Done, which is possibly the most “radio friendly” song on the album, should the band go that route. It appears to be about a complicated relationship, and it is delivered with such bittersweetness that it tugs on the listener’s heartstrings, regardless of gender. One can only imagine the creative experience of Mr. Baker, who is the main lyricist for band, to provide material for these songs. I will assume he is an emotionally strong person.

Impecibly produced by Billy Sherwood and engineered by Dave Morse, this album sounds lush and vibrant. I urge both die-hard fans and curious music lovers to give World In Front of me a try. If you even remotely liked their first album, you will fall in love with Mars Hollow with their second. This is a band that can go places if they choose to do so, but even if they keep their day jobs, they will continue to have a loyal following. Talent like this should never stay in a garage.