Album Review: Marnie Stern - The Chronicles Of Marnia

Marnie Stern has long been the indie rock touchstone for proof the genre can rock hard and to a different beat. Her first three albums ebbed and flowed between time signatures, swung beats and polyrhythmic grooves; all anchored by Stern's ever-shredding guitar licks and cheesy over-the-top pop vocals. It is perhaps disconcerting – and certainly does the album a real disservice – to note that The Chronicles Of Marnia is a much more straightforward album.

The opening number, Year Of Glad, crackles and fizzes with Stern's brand of speedy punk-cum-bubblegum pop, but without any of the 'mathematical' flourishes her previous work was known for. This, it turns out, is an ideal mood setter. Escaping from experimental, rhythm-based work is actually a boon for Stern, who amps up the down-tuned guitars and headbanger influence on one of many album highlights, You Don't Turn Down.

There's no bad moments on this lean, 33-minute record – but special mention is demanded from uncharacteristic, pounding, piano driven Proof Of Life, where Stern laments her frailty in the face of an existential crisis. Pretension could be levelled at a lesser artist, but Stern nails it here.

The astonishingly fast finger-picking is still there, the joyous J-Pop-influenced vocals still shine, but this is Stern reaching to new heights. Real character and genuine depth are present in more obvious ways than ever before. This album is Stern's most controlled, forward-thinking and planned, and behind all the fury and energy, this shines through. If The Chronicles Of Marnia isn't the most obvious choice for 'best Marnie Stern album', it's likely to be the one history shines on the brightest.