The Bevis Frond - Inner Marshland (17 tracks) +Album Reviews

Brilliant as ten thousand micro-explosions across my retina

mptesteroni | Preparing to mount | 05/08/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first time I heard the 1988 Reckless release of this album, my jaw dropped so low I had to dig a hole and fight off hordes of Mudmen to get it back. It set off a panic in me to hunt down all other Frond releases, no mean feat in the musical wastes of 1988 South "Welcome to Record Bar" Carolina. I wound up with Miasma, Triptych, A Gathering of Fronds, and The Auntie Winnie Album,as well as Scenes From the Dreams of Angels, from Bari Watts' Outskirts of Infinity (the most brilliantly executed yet somehow totally hollow and unimaginative Jimi Hendrix clone in existence. Sorry Bari, you amazing guitar inferno.) Unfortunately, those last three mentioned releases somewhat cooled my passion for this crazy Englishman's musical vision. I guess the lo-fi just finally got to me. I mean, I know musicians are limited by the real world considerations of rent and food, and I am very deeply impressed by the fact that Nick was the force of one behind everything in his catalog, but I was just getting kinda shell-shocked, kinda flattened out by the flat vocals and drums on each new record. I mean let's be honest-- psychedelia this good just SCREAMS for better production. You want to be able to turn out all the lights (the ones OUTSIDE your head, at least), lay back on a big pillow and hear each tiny microgram of color and sound rage loose around your skull. So, eventually, I lost track of the burning NEED for more Frond, I guess.....But I have never EVER stopped loving to this gorgeous record. I have hundreds of garage rock and psych albums, by bands from the 60's to present times, but Inner Marshland is one of the best. From the eerie cries of tiny and unseen yet possibly vicious little creatures lurking within the echoscapes of "Cries From..." and "Defoliation Pt. 1" to the whimsically lonely "Hey Mr. Undecided", sitting on his barbed-wire fence, to Sooty and Sweet rocking out in the attic playroom long after their bedtime in the intro to "Once More", everything on this disc SHINES as simply wonderful music from an incredibly gifted, prolific musical talent. And, this was the standard by which all those other releases were judged. Here, there's not really a notice of murky 8-track production, you're too amazed at the song to hear the making of it. THIS sounds GREAT, why didn't THOSE? AGOF and TAWA weren't BAD records, they just weren't THIS GOOD. So, I cast them away. I exiled myself from the Shrine! Oh no! What have I done?!? I have forsaken him, and I have been a fool. So only now, stuck a billion miles from home, and having alleviated my fears of internet commerce enough to shop often in the biggest damn record store I've ever seen, surrounded by Blink-O-matics and Creed-ins at every turn, I now know I must amend my ways and return to Saloman's flock. Pray for me no more, for I have ordered Vavona Burr and Valedictory Songs as my penance. I wonder, Mr. Irving-Poleridge, if they can top this one..."Listen, and you shall see...."
Hey, wait... this is re-mastered? must...add...to.......shopping...cart......"

Before you trip over your cape Batman, riddle me this???

t'amant | WA | 09/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One cat seems like four, but has no matches. How did he manage to smoke? Well, I think he smoked alot and smoked hard...on the instruments of course. Nick Saloman sounds like four, working out his instrument collection, and nobody matches the odd magic created on this album by this unusual fellow. This neo-psychedelic masterpiece ROCKS!

What is this Minsmere Sphagnum? It's like an "Are You Experienced" for the 80's...I felt instant kinship when I heard this experimental workout on a 4-track home recording (Hendrix/Floyd/Airplane/Gong/Richard Thompson come to mind spiced up with a little Punk & New Wave?). I aspire to create something interesting and ingenious like this (I play guitar, bass and drums but haven't made it into this psych master-class yet...someday maybe?). Some of you who like music more poppy, tight and spotlessly recorded might not get it, but this is high art in my opinion. Headphone music for an autumnal soltice party if nothing else.

There are few albums over the years that would be repeat all day players but this is that kind. The low-fi playful atmoshere only enhances the pleasure if you ask me. So many cool approaches and powerful, raging stream-of-consciousness energy makes this one float to the heavens. Guitar on here literally smokes! Many other newer prog bands are tight and impressive, but this is what I like - melodic, psychedelic soul music from the heart. AMAZING!

P.S. This IS a want them all once you've heard this guy trap, tread warily if your out of shelf space or don't want to wander into the Inner Marshland! Enjoy"

THEE KILLER Frond Album!!!!!

Barry P. Saranchuk | Moosic, PA United States | 07/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a mind-blasting album with all the right guitar moves,great songwriting,...and it even sounds like a lost relic of 1960's psychedelia!

Start here,then get BEVIS THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS,then TRYPTICH,or the AUNTIE WINNIE ALBUM!

You will be amazed at how great this all can be,and played by one person(most times) none the less!

If it all "clicks" just keep on buying their CDs....Bevis Frond always have something cool in store for you!

It's fantastic to have these back in print! Get 'em NOW you lucky dogs ya!"

Looking Through Your Window Eye

JOHN SPOKUS | BALTIMORE, MARYLAND United States | 02/14/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The first Frond I ever purchased and still my favorite. Nick takes one two many guitar solos,sometimes 2 or three are multitracked, all going at once, but the tunes are great psychedelia and very DIY. Warning to tech-heads, this is really lo-fi, noisy,home 4 track, trash can drum sound stuff. He went digital 8 track a couple of years ago, but this stuff is early, before that enlightenment. The rumor is that Nick Saloman started home recording with money he got from a car accident. His guitar sound is pure late 60's psych freakout like SRC, Hendrix and George Brigman,the later whose records are also sonically comparable to The Frond. See Bevis live if you get a chance, it'll be the show you'll talk about for awhile. Maybe the best heavy power trio I've ever heard in concert.The Frond is an addiction, when you hear one you'll be an instant fan and want his whole catalogue. Also highly recommended is Miasma and Gathering Of Fronds."

Joint Division

Paul Ess. | Holywell, N.Wales,UK. | 10/02/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If ever an album caught me completely unawares, it's `Inner Marshland'.

Norwich's very own Nick Saloman is the `brains' behind this insanity. Norwich. My mother goes on holiday to Norwich. It has a very famous cathedral, and some to-die-for-fudge. And, apparently, it also has the Bevis Frond.

What!? Isn't `frond' a fern, so what the hell's a `Bevis'? A ducking stool for witches? (They still burn witches in Norwich from time to time), a gurners yoke, a big cheese for rolling down a hill? A cider flaggoner's lurid wife? Why aren't we told? Does it matter?

The Bevis Frond..? Never.

Now as you'd expect from the title, `Inner Marshgas`, comes dressed in a veneer of what people perceive, and is CELEBRATED here, as that most suspicious of music genres, (gulp!) PROG ROCK!! (Hysterical reviewer holds nose and pulls imaginary lavatory chain).

And it's all here in diamonds. The cheap looking sleeve with a mock Middle Earth drawing/scribble inside, nonsensical titles, cheery bi-sectioning of the songs by Nick Frond himself.

Could it be any worse? You can hear the laughter ringing all round East Anglia. Bevis Frodo!? Inner Marsupial!? PROG ROCK!?!? This is a poor joke right?

Fear not brave traveler, your humble narrator rarely lets you down, and trust me when I tell you, Nick Fern and his frazzled, Frondian cohorts have served up a top lp.

First off, you need to dispel all this `prog' nonsense. What we have here is a rattling collection of good, solid rock songs, pure and simple.

Nick Bevis (Centre parting. From Norwich.) sings and plays most of the instruments.

Gloriously.

He lives this stuff and he MEANS it. Musically there's a bit of Sab in here, bit of the Who, maybe a suggestion of Television ( Nick and his leafy luminaries look like the Damned on the sleeve photos!) among others, but it rarely stays in one place long enough to pin it down.

The `prog' premise is swatted by the average lengths of the songs. No 10 minute mellotron solos here, Nick Saruman and co, (big King Crimsoners' to a man!) have far too much to say, in too short a time space.

Lyrically, he's good. Stuffing a large amount into a small space, what the best rock music should always be about. Stealthy and scheming, he's somewhere between Elliot and Jimmy Sangster, and try as he might to compound and perpetuate the prog philosophy, his music's just too interesting and accessible.

Elves and magic mushrooms maybe, but it's spacious and melodic fare, not TOO far out there, not quite `Star Trek, nothing nerdy about Norwich Nick.

`Once More' is my favourite song on `Inner Marshmallow.' It begins with a clip from The Sooty Show (honest!) before breaking into a pulsing guitar/keyboard passage,(Peter Fenn?) then some echoey poetry, then a Simon and Garfunkel style haunting ballad, then some rapping! Straight up! Okay, it's more Norwich than New Jersey, but it's rapping all the same .Co-written with some-one called Dick Haar, (a made-up name if ever I heard one!) it's the albums centre-piece, throbbing with fierce geetar and haunting vocals. An albums worth of `Once More's would be something to treasure indeed.

`Eyes in the Back of My Head' is another scorcher, the chorus is pure Blur and the uproarious guitar is roaring, distorted, mini-John McGeoch. There's a good acoustic ballad as well, called `Walking in the Lady's Garden' which has a fabulous Farfisa organ solo and some more fiery Frondian fretwork. See where `Inner Marrowbone' is heading? I wanna go too.

He messes up occasionally. (Hurrah! At least he's human, I had my doubts.) There's a bit too much singing through a fuzzy megaphone (the same thing ruined the first Bravery album.) for my liking, too much determination to provide us with ALL the nefarious trappings of `prog.' Banging things to no effect, squelching noises, using words like `envisaged' in the sleeve notes, ( I must say, I `envisaged' my posterior when I heard 'Window Eye' a DREADFUL song, something about 'tepid asses puke(!) and 'the Marchioness of Prunes`(!!) Far and away the albums low point.) but generally he keeps things in check. Like he's realized in the nick(ho ho!) of time he`s in danger of losing it, and pulled back. Stopped straining at the psychedelic sound effects leash, and decided to concentrate on the songs. Wise.

Lets sack any pseudo-seriousness as well. The over-riding impression here, is of a talented bloke(from Norwich!) having an absolute blast, concocting a joyful music that, once you've shed those blinkers, will draw you slowly in, charm you into submission and generally make things seem better in your world. Sound?

I wonder did they take too much `bevis 'and try and spell Eavis?

Joshing aside, it doesn't get much better than this. It's just plain old 12 bar blues really, but pop-pickers, `Inner Maraschino Cherry' is punching little round psychedelic holes in square old rock, and ain't that a smidgeon of comfort in these dark, corporate days.

"Make me grovel, make me crawl,

Chain me to the bedroom wall.."

I wonder if you can smoke that fern(!)

"

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