Last week, legendary guitarist Johnny Marr of The Smiths' fame completed the release of his four part, hour long project and first album in 4 years. The Mic's James Peutherer shares his verdict on 'Fever Dreams Pts 1-4'.
Johnny Marr needs no introduction as one of Britain’s finest musical icons. His work as a guitarist and songwriter for The Smiths inspired a generation of Britpop and indie rock bands stretching from Oasis to Modest Mouse - whom he briefly played with as lead guitarist between the years of 2006 and 2008. Marr now returns to the forefront of British independent music with the final two parts of his Fever Dreams project - in unison with the first two previously released as EP’s into an all-encompassing double album.
Fresh off the back of his work on the soundtrack for No Time To Die alongside virtuoso composer Hans Zimmer, Marr seeks to deliver a musically weird and rich follow up to his more trademark, Marr-esque 2018 album Call the Comet. It would be an understatement to say that Marr has certainly delivered. This psychedelic project leans on electronic elements and unconventional song structures more than most will expect from Johnny Marr’s songwriting for the Smiths. Marr’s decision to release the first half of the album in the form of two EP’s appears appears an astute one, hearing the first half of the album on its own and then with the addition of parts 3 and 4 allows a unique listening experience and adds a degree of replayability to parts 1 and 2.
"[Johnny Marr's] signature guitar lines have more weight and bass to them than perhaps would be expected, but Marr holds back on showing off his devastating guitar skills just for the sake of it."
Marr’s abandonment of the norm on this latest project is instantly noticeable as Spirit Power and Soul - the album’s opener roars into life, more reminiscent of his 80’s contemporaries such as Depeche Mode than the jangle pop of the Smiths with its driving synth sound. The 80s styled drum machine feels more powerful than many examples of the era - the wonders of modern production giving the track some serious weight. It’s hard to avoid being transported away onto a Tron bike in a futuristic land as the track charges along. Whilst a 4:36 run time would threaten in some cases threaten to lose the listener’s attention, that is not the case here - the minutes fly by, with each section of the song retaining enough familiarity to keep you hooked without becoming repetitive.
Throughout various tracks, Marr laments on the madness of everyday life and appears to be looking for something to pull him out of that familiar madness - a theme that comes across all too relatable in the current context of the world. Whilst Marr appears to be asking for a change to the ‘Fever Dreams’ of everyday life, much of the album is coated in a hope and positivity in both the music and lyrical content. The track Lightning People with its grand intro synths and frantic vocal delivery subside into a gospel-esque chorus, with the backdrop of a choir that wouldn’t seem out of place on a Damon Albarn solo track. It adds that tinge of optimism that Marr appears to be trying to display perfectly.
The album’s stunning musical diversity is one its biggest strengths - the albums influences are worn firmly on its sleeve and they range all the way from the Joy Division style post-punk intros of tracks such as The Whirl to the old school hip hop drum beat of Ghoster. Marr isn’t afraid to leap from style to style, even within tracks themselves. Sensory Street’s fuzzy electronic dance intro and surf rock styled vibrato guitar line makes way for a brief trip to the height of Manchester’s Hacienda with the introduction of jungle drum elements later in the song. One of the albums true strengths is its ability to leave you utterly baffled as to where a song is going to next.
Marr for the most part on the project presents his guitar playing as minimalistic and considered with his riffs providing subtle but catchy hooks across the album's tracks. His signature guitar lines have more weight and bass to them than perhaps would be expected, but Marr holds back on showing off his devastating guitar skills just for the sake of it. When Marr does provide an extended guitar line however the results are a joy. The single Tenement Time instantly feels heavy with distortion echoing like an overheard plane leading the track in to Marr’s hair-metal moment, a riff Van Halen will have wished they’d written with the vocal delivery to match. Of course this is not the first time Marr has experimented with metal elements - although you get the feeling this time that Marr is far less apologetic about its use than with the controversy that surrounded his solo on Smiths track Shoplifters of the World Unite.
"...the most stripped back guitar-ballad feeling track of the album, a stark departure from the rest of this electro-rock fuelled Blade Runner adventure."
The synergy of heavier bassy elements and the light jangle of Marr’s signature guitar are noticeable on many of the album’s tracks is reminiscent of the Pixies in many ways. Marr experiments with the loud-quiet-loud style of the noise pop and grunge era as much as he plays around with more modern indie rock influences. Ariel starts with a more electronic sound that floats into a bedroom pop chorus that would almost certainly get two thumbs up from Mac Demarco. It is in this contrast of light and dark elements that Marr’s genius is at its most obvious - throughout this genre bending project Marr leaves it in zero doubt why he is considered one of the most important musicians of all time.
Marr is an expert of ingesting and then expelling musical styles that range from the post-punk wave of his day, breezing through the dance music of the Hacienda, the noise-pop of the Pixies and meandering through the 21st century space rock of bands such as Muse and Kasabian on tracks such as the dark and sexy The Speed of Love. It is in Marr’s interpretation of so many important musical genres that he delivers such a bountiful and replayable piece of work.
Before it’s time to depart from Marr’s newest musical journey - there is one more treat left in store in the album’s closing track Human. It feels an appropriate title for what is the most stripped back guitar-ballad feeling track of the album, a stark departure from the rest of this electro-rock fuelled Blade Runner adventure. The themes of the track connect with much of the rest of the album - the unavoidable madness of life, and Marr delivers a chorus melody that has a distinctly Mancunian feel, evocative of the work of his fellow songwriter and close friend Noel Gallagher.
Whilst Marr chooses to leave us with a song that reminds of his roots and the distinctly British sound that has been a hallmark of his career - Fever Dreams Pts 1-4 leaves the listener with a collage of creativity in which Marr appears to take a composer-like role that shows all too well how much more he has to give to the world of music. More 1 and 12 hour minutes of psychedelic experience rather than just an album, Fever Dreams Pts 1-4 is a truly worthwhile listen.
James Peutherer
Edited by: Elliot Fox
In article images courtesy of Johnny Marr via press release & Facebook. Video courtesy of Johnny Marr via YouTube.
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