Psychedelic and folky, the debut release from Liverpool’s Marvin Powell, seems to originate from some far-off, Tolkien created world. Signed by The Coral’s James Skelly’s label, Powell has that unique, retro sound that so resonates with Skelley’s own endeavors.

Full of plucking guitars that echo The Beatles’ Indian influences, matched with the hazy vocals of Powell, new single ‘Buried’ is a swirling, jangling maze, with lyrics that give rise to images of the “fortress of my mind” and “beasts bound in white”; again signalling that Powell’s song is very far from being rooted in the here and now.

Although light and airy, ‘Buried’ is tinged with a kind of bitter melancholy, making the track seem somewhat personal and self-appraising as Powell sings of being “buried alive”, adding yet further layers to this multi-dimensional track. Chimes and echoes make this track a bewitching listen, and you’re left with the feeling that Powell has just cast a spell over you, before waltzing off to join his elvish friends in Lothlórien.

Powell’s enchanting single takes the listener far from the red-brick of Powell’s Liverpool, and instead into ‘the unknown’ of his lyrics, with promises of a quest to match that of any literary epic. Who wouldn’t accept?

‘Buried’ is out 3 August on Skeleton Key Records. 

 

Tara Hodgson
@tarahodgson