Strung Deep

Marcus Corbett, I can easily see being one of those artists that you either love or hate. My first go with his latest album, Strung Deep, was a bit of an eyebrow raiser. At first I had no idea what I was listening to - a strange combination of deep vocals and acrobatic warbling that somehow seemed strange against the canvas of off kilter sounds of guitars and tambla’s playing (I have to admit) crystal clear in the backdrop. 

 

My second go I was driving around town and not really paying attention when the vocals on In Deed caught my attention. They sounded deep and dark like Ian Curtis (Joy Division), against the off guitar sounds, coming off a bit like José González. It was at this moment that I continued to drive, but giving more attention to the album, and from there it all started to come together. 

 

Corbett’s style is an infusion of UK spirit with an dash of culture from India. The music is somewhat spiritual, especially with Corbett’s unique vocal style that runs from clean to almost singing in tongues, as if one word or tone caught his ear and he decided to play around with it for awhile. In a sense his voice is just as much an instrument on the album as his guitar.

 

While I did end up enjoying the album I also knew that it was going to be an album that only those who have been adventurous with their musical voyage will really appreciate. It’s not only music, but the story of Corbett’s musical journey as well. At its core it simply is a love letter to the two forms of music that he’s fine tuned into his style and the ways in which he has fine tuned his voice. It takes real confidence just to turn left in the middle of holding a key and allowing your voice to find its own way. It really is something magical when you hear it. 

 

The album is dark with specks of light shining through here and there. A truly amazing musical adventure with a wild symphony of guitars and tambla’s and Corbett’s voice finding harmony with the tones in the music. Well worth checking out if you have the tenacity to really find the abstract in music and work your way to understanding something you may not at first.