Marc Carroll

Posted in World On A Wire - reviews on 20/10/2010

World On A Wire

Net Rhythms

Two albums (and a rarities collection) and a Dylan thumbs-up in and the Dublin singer-songwriter is hitting his solo stride after several years fronting much underrated Irish outfit The Hormones. However, where Ten Of Swords was characterised by ringing upbeat folk rock Rickenbacker evocative of the Byrds the follow up is a far moodier and reflective affair steeped in piano and strings, Love Over Gold especially a plangent dark furrowed affair evocative of Blood On The Tracks era Dylan. There are other influences equally at work as the stark, backwoods acoustic folk feel of Till These Bars Break ably testifies. The lyrical mood is firmly downbeat, introspective with a melancholia edging into an emotional pessimism born of battering experience. The cello and piano shadings of the opening A Way Back Out Of Here clings to a ray of hope and salvation, but from here on he plunges into talk of 'losing the ones you look out for' on No Time At All, 'despair coming easy' on the deceptively breezy Dylanesque folk shuffle Together We're Strong, confessing to feeling "lost, done in and so low" on the strum along jangle Talk Again. But, whatever prompted him into writing those and the likes of the meditative It Isn't Always Easy, a gospel sounding In Agreement With Reality (which sounds to have borrowed the choir from Knocking On Heaven's Door) and the bitter turmoil of God's Wit where he "can't even remember my own name", given what's poured out on to the record you can't help but feel grateful.

Posted in World On A Wire - reviews on 20/10/2010

World On A Wire

Fufkin Magazine (US)

In a departure from the more upbeat music that was featured on his earlier albums, Marc Carroll has strengthened his pop credentials with the more serious, ballad-oriented World On A Wire. "Together We're Strong" is a catchy mid-tempo song, but most of the tracks favour a Dylan/Neil Young solo approach. Something in the melody of "Till These Bars Break" reminds me of "Helpless" and "Ohio." This disc is already an early favourite for Top Ten honours in 2005.

Posted in World On A Wire - reviews on 20/10/2010

World On A Wire

Kool Kat (US)

On his latest offering, Marc's gone all introspective on us! His warm, haunting at times, slightly weathered voice is sympathetically accompanied throughout by guitars, beautiful string arrangements and keyboards recalling the heyday of first division British troubadors like John Martyn and Bert Jansch

Posted in World On A Wire - reviews on 20/10/2010

World On A Wire

Cielo Liquido (Spain)

The new album of Irish artist Marc Carroll sees the talented singer, composer and multi instrumentist as a teacher of melody. The harmony and the instrumentation was already known to us of delighted from his first solo album "Ten swords" (2002). On World On A Wire he has obtained an intelligent, dark, loaded, personal and stimulating work of pop, perfectly constructed, rich in textures and timbres, Byrds, Wilco, Brian Wilson, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, Leonard Cohen fans should delight in this album.

Posted in World On A Wire - reviews on 20/10/2010

World On A Wire

RootsHighway (Italy)

English songwriters know how to be eccentric (a lot more than their colleagues Americans), but Irishman Marc Carroll can strike the biggest punch. Just three years ago he unleashed the guitar filled psychedelic bath of "Ten Of Swords" , follows that up with the eccentric collection of rarities "All Wrongs Reversed" (2003) and now throws us again with this his second solo album, " World On To Wire". It is a deeply introspective collection of material, depressing even (Think Neil Young's `Tonight's The Night`). Where his songs were once conducted with fluorescent guitars, he has now turned to the piano, string arrangements and acoustic guitars. The result? An exceptional piece of work.

Posted in World On A Wire - reviews on 20/10/2010

World On A Wire

Plato (Netherlands)

In England, they are at the moment full of praise for Marc Carroll and his latest album `World On A Wire`, but in Holland we haven't got that far yet. This latest CD follows his debut, three years ago `Ten of Swords`, which set off joyful reviews in the British Music Press. Uncut called it one of the best singer songwriter discs of the year. Mojo called Carroll the ideal mix of The Byrds and The Buzzcocks.

We ourselves detect the influence of Dylan, but indeed also from West Coast pop and punk. It is this remarkable mix of influences that gives the `Folk` or possibly `Folkpunk` of Marc Carroll a completely unique sou8nd of it's own. In England the Irish Songwriter is reckoned to be one of the most promising performers for the future. After listening to `World On A Wire` we have to wholeheartedly agree with this.