Mars FM are on a search for an elusive equilibrium on their most recent release, “The Sky Knelt to the Sea.” They’re on a journey for which there is no map. The only option is to take the dirt roads and unpredictable turns. It’s not like they have any choice.
Living in the big city, among concrete walls and cement-paved streets, is a lot like living chained to a Top 40 station. The same thing happens again and again. Few people complain about it too much. Yet, everyone has the feeling that they’ve been duped. Something is just not right. Things are simply not in balance.
Album opener, “Beneath the Blue,” is a call to nature as a saviour and a fine distillation of the project’s message. The song is driven by a classic-rock-sounding guitar riff and emotional vocals.
The idea of the album as a potentially life-changing road trip meant to bring both the band listeners closer to the natural elements can be heard in the songs “Sedimentary,” “Staring at the Moon,” or “Otter in the Lake.”
“The Rug” further showcases the group’s large array of musical interests, which include blues, folk and 60s psychedelia sounds. This is one of the album’s highlights and comes complete with an almost Jefferson Airplane-like chorus.
Further proof of the scope of the duo’s music can be found on “Turtle on the Run,” a pedal-steel-lead song that echoes 90s-alt-country by way of The Byrds or The Flying Burrito Brothers.
Mars FM’s music echoes a familiar melancholy. Like the 60s hippies, the dup feels a kinship for natural living. Their music has an unforced tendency to embrace psychedelic elements. But this direction is not an excuse to meander or get lost. It’s an invitation to redefine oneself.
Still, Mars FM also believes in subtlety, a rare characteristic of modern groups. The band’s message is not meant to frighten you into submission or trick you into joining their caravan. Like a walk through the woods, its beauty is meant to reveal itself to you slowly. Some things take time, and usually, those are the best things that life has to offer.
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