MARAH

Life is a Problem

[Valley Farm Songs]

The latest release from Marah comes with a lot of firsts. As usual, there have been changes in the lineup—Marah is now essentially the duo of singer and guitarist Dave Bielanko and keyboardist Christine Smith. Life Is a Problem is also the first Marah album not released on CD in the U.S. Instead, it’s available in hipster-deluxe gatefold LP, MP3 and cassette (yes, you read that correctly) formats. As for the music itself, that’s a bit different too. Alongside vintage out-to-save-rock Marah—from the epic title track to the balls-out blast that closes the album—you’ll find the soaring “Valley Farm Song,” which reads like Bruce Springsteen’s treatment of folk music on acid, and gorgeous, stately balladry (“Within the Spirit Sagging”). There are off-kilter takes on traditional folk (“Bright Morning Stars”) as well as plunked banjo, scratchy fiddle, barnyard noises and samples scattered everywhere. Marah has always been defined by the ramshackle, and this is a new and beautiful iteration of that ethos.

–Stuart Munro