The Birds Of Marsville
We Are Busy Bodies, 2025
9/10
Listen to The Birds Of Marsville
The Canadian and experimental artist, Richard Marsella, i.e. Friendly Rich, returns with a 17th album, and like everything he’s touched, it’s iconoclastic and imaginative.
The first half of the listen consists of “Birds 1 to 39”, and it opens with spoken word before Gregory Oh’s keys and Nick Fraser’s drums complement the 18+ minutes of atypical cabaret nods that do inject the sounds of bird calls. The tune alternates between busy bursts and softer, carnival-esque ideas, where the unpredictable nature is much appreciated.
“Birds 40-76” occupies the back half and carries a similar approach. Nichol S. Robertson’s guitar, Ed Reife’s orchestral percussion and Tom Richards’ brass are all mashed in there, where the eccentric tune emits waves of upbeat bouts as well as busy, noisey bursts that sometimes mimics the squawks of birds in the wild.
Marsella plays a variety of noisemakers here, where there’s much beauty to enjoy, oddities to be enamored with and psychedelic traces to try to keep up with. Somewhere between avant-folk and math rock, Friendly Rich again mesmerizes us with his unconventional vision.
Travels well with: Joane Hétu- Elle a son mot á dire; No Hay Bando- Il Teatro Rosso