Marah

Fans of this Philadelphia six-piece will undoubtedly hail Angels of Destruction! as its best album; it's certainly Marah's most accessible and expansive record to date. There's always been an honest theatricality and a colorful, imaginative flair running through Marah's musical stories, but Angels takes them to a new level entirely...

By Chris Parker

February 7, 2008

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

Fans of this Philadelphia six-piece will undoubtedly hail Angels of Destruction! as its best album; it's certainly Marah's most accessible and expansive record to date. There's always been an honest theatricality and a colorful, imaginative flair running through Marah's musical stories, but Angels takes them to a new level entirely. The group's sixth album is forged on the back of frontman David Bielanko's newfound sobriety, which he addresses on terrific tracks like the shambling, jazz-blues opener "Coughing Up Blood," the barroom brawler "Old Time Tickin' Away," and the bluegrass rag "Can't Take It With You," which sounds like an Appalachian brass band covering Kurt Weill. New members Kirk Henderson and Christine Smith add other dimensions to Marah's rootsy rock and soul, steering Springsteenian undertones toward The Band's dusty Americana territory. When it works, like on "Wild West Love Song" or the ambling gospel-folk of "Jesus in the Temple," the results are downright revelatory.

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Phoenix New Times has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.