Whilst the world churns at a relentless rate for most of the music industry, over on Gare du Nord Records’ parallel planet, divergent routes continued to be followed at its roster’s own particular pacings.
Thus, after last year’s impressive near-simultaneous outings from Misha Chylkova, and Keiron Phelan and Peace Signs, psych-folk conjuring from Andrew Rumsey a few months back and a recently dispensed collection of ‘domestica’ art-pop curiosities from Charlie Hannah, appears Michael Warren’s defiantly — but charmingly — out of step Mariocki.
Entering a realm where the laws of latter-day rock and pop physics don’t really apply, this second self-billed long-player for the label — from the artist formerly known as Ziggy Heroe — trades in the suave and sophisticated side-alleys that largely became forgotten about since The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and their peers rewrote the rules of engagement in the latter half of the 1960s. Therefore — with the ambidextrous assistance of extended Gard du Nord family members such as James Stringer, the aforementioned Keiron Phelan and the omnipresent Ian Button — the archly crooning Warren carves out a compendium of originals and covers that join more than a few compellingly contrarian dots.
Hence, to exemplify his commendable compositional chops, you will find slinky Scott Walker-meets-Ennio Morricone orchestrated storytelling (“What Casper Did”); sultry romantic manoeuvres (“Come, Guinevere”); stealthily schmaltzy twists (“Reba”); gloriously earwormy Divine Comedy-does-cocktail-jazz delights (“Didja?”); Lee Hazlewood-as-James Bond prowling (on the title track); and rousing cinematic cabaret (for the wonderfully widescreen “Norman Way Theme”). With such strong material generated under his own scribing steam, Warren perhaps didn’t actually need the songs of others to leave his mark with Mariocki, but his reinterpretations nevertheless add to the fascinating fusions at play. Consequently, the florid flute and piano-led twist upon Edwin Astley‘s “You’re The One For Me”, a smoky Bertholt Brechtian rebuild of David Bowie’s “Lady Grinning Soul” and a remoulding of Deep Purple’s already languid “Soldier Of Fortune” all prove the presence of a gift for reassimilating the work of disparate writers into his own charismatic machinations.Whilst Mariocki could well be most atypical album to be documented on the pages of Freq in 2025, its esoteric attractions should still reach out convivially to those with antennae receptive to adroit craftmanship, of any presentation persuasion.
-Adrian-
