Label: Merger

http://www.mergermanagement.net/
Reviews: Marybell Katastrophy - You are the two / Marybell Katastrophy - This is the one
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Marybell Katastrophy - You are the twoMarybell Katastrophy
You are the two
Merger

8

Building off the demented amalgamation of space-rock, Björk, and industrial-tinged electronica that was present on "This is the one", Danish oddity Marybell Katastrophy has crafted another challenging, yet abundantly rewarding EP. "You are the two" is as difficult to portray with language as its predecessor, if not more so, lavishly borrowing vehicles of expression from almost every popular contemporary genre: electronic arrangements that amble along like Four Tet and other times prowl despondently, evoking early the Cooper Temple Clause; songwriting that at times feels akin to the masterfully bizarre work that Astrid Swan accomplished on "Spartan picnic" - see: "Nightwalk" - only later to feel more like a dangerously unhinged, "Amnesiac"-era experiment - see: "Silence"; even the stand-out track "Hidden agenda" seems indebted not only to the strength of Marybell Katastrophy's songwriting, but Czech electronic artists Khoiba and British prodigy Patrick Wolf's ability to congregate darkness with pop sensibility. Out of all of these myriad approaches and sounds, Marybell Katastrophy brings a powerful sense of coherence and lucidity, similar to the way the Notwist and Slaraffenland are able to explore numerous avenues without making their albums feel like a series of detours. If "This is the one" put Marybell Katastrophy on my radar, "You are the two" finds me pleading for a full-length effort to place high up within my Best of 2008 list.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson

Tue, Apr 29th, 2008 00:00:00

Marybell Katastrophy - This is the oneMarybell Katastrophy
This is the one
Merger

8

Denmark's Marybell Katastrophy seamlessly joins the idiosyncratic staccato stabs of "Debut"-era Björk with the spacey-indie approach of Blonde Redhead's latest album, but even this broad description fails to include all the electronic quirks and other eccentric layers the artist incorporates into her compositions. There is a semblance of continuity on "This is the one", though the songs are often drastically different from their neighbors: "Hip" has a chorus that evokes the reverberated distortion of the Smashing Pumpkins' "Bodies"; "Red red" could easily hold its own against any Knife single; and closer "His desperate voice" meanders beautifully like a lost Trespassers William track. This semi-schizophrenic quality does not rob "This is the one" of its own unique personality, rather it gives hints towards what Marybell Katastrophy would be able to accomplish with a full-length effort. This EP has firmly established these Danes' place on my radar.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson

Mon, Dec 17th, 2007 00:00:00