Take some folk, some jazz, some classical, a bit of gospel and align it with some poignant nostalgia, some whimsy, a dash of tragedy and fizzing energy and the results might come somewhere close to describing Marian Call.
Her new album, Something Fierce comes out on 13th November and she describes the latest taster from it, Dear Mr Darcy as an explosive rhyming extravaganza and slam poetry about Jane Austen set to an Ani DiFranco groove, imagining a modern Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett as two introverted, artistic people who are deeply in love with each other, but too inhibited to say anything about it.
Grab it below and also the cheery singalong of Good Morning Moon.
Download Marian Call – Dear Mister Darcy mp3 (from Something Fierce)
Download Marian Call – Good Morning Moon mp3 (from Something Fierce)
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The Mad Mackerel 
Great to see this is happening! I love these songs! 🙂
Me too! I’ve been a fan of Marian for years, and the music just keeps getting better. She’s one of maybe a handful of artists whose stuff I will buy without having heard a single note first. About time she’s getting the exposure she deserves. 🙂
Love this album – it’s on perms-play in my car. Can’t wait to hear the tunes live tonight at the Ladies of Ragnorak tour. Marian has a voice like a bell and a sly way with a lyric that appeals to my snarky side without sacrificing sincerity or emotion. I’m as big a fan as you can be without incurring a restraining order 😉
Only thing better than a free Marian Call song? 2 free Marian Carroll songs!
Good Morning Moon keeps getting stuck in my head in the most delightful way. I really love both of these songs.
I adore her lyrics. Whistle While you Wait has become my go to song for any time I’m in a bad mood.
As “Good Morning Moon” (yes, good *morning*, moon!) makes clear, to fully appreciate Marian Call’s music you need to listen to what she’s saying. It’s not her wide range of musical influences that make her special so much as what and how she thinks and how that comes across in her lyrics. Marian Call’s work is about thinking, not taking evaluations for granted, and pursuing your own happiness your own way — seeing the humor in life, but also the deep, ecstatic joy — paying attention to who you are and who you want to be, admitting you’re not quite there yet but still valuing yourself and your values. It’s fun music that makes you want to live up to it.
My favourite song of all time is ‘All New’ off the Something Fierce album. Marian writes some of the best lyric combos I have heard and even dares to tackle Orange in ‘Dear Mr Darcy’. DMD is also a firm favourite, a catchy jazz pop hook that sticks in the mind and reminds you that you are not the only one that bombed on a date!
I bought the CD, gave it to a friend who overheard it and loved it, then I bought it again. I’m sending these mp3s to another friend and posting this link. Marian’s music is *that* smart, entertaining, uplifting, and just generally great. She’s also wonderfully friendly, approachable, and quirky in concert. Check her touring schedule and GO. You won’t regret it. Oh, and *every* song on this album is wonderful. If you like these, you’ll *love* the rest.
If you need a quick, fun, catchy tune definitely give Good Morning Moon a listen. Then listen to it again to see if you can catch all the fun little sounds in the song. I still seem to hear a new thing or two now and then.
Can I just mention that “Good Morning Moon” is absolutely my favorite song? I fell in love with Marian’s voice when I discovered “It’s Good to Have Jayne On Your Side” from her “Got to Fly” album, but this song is just so darn skippy.
It’s the perfect wake-up song, which is why I’ve now set it for my morning alarm. I find myself singing it throughout the day; it just so dang happy you just want to squeeze someone (note: do not squeeze strangers).
I love Dear Mr. Darcy. It’s as if you suddenly become incredibly confident and witty and funny and well-spoken and sexy and had a great voice and then said All The Things to That Person that you could never bring yourself to say. This will likely never be true for me but Marian Call seems to have mastered it. Great song.
These songs are great. In fact, the only thing better than this, is the entire work of Marian Call on shuffle. Marian’s music is catchy and enjoyable, but when you really dive into the lyrics it actually gets pretty deep and emotional (and funny, and strong, and geeky and smart).
Just gave a listen and Marian is as amazing to listen to as ever! 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing these singles, hopefully they’ll tide me over till the big release.
Cheers!
I love both of these songs so, so much! Good Morning Moon is a great one for me to wake up to since I’m up long before the sun every day, and it’s a really cheerful note to start the day on. It’s nice too that it’s such a cheerful song about what can be a difficult subject for some people (namely, deciding whether to seek relevance in a world that doesn’t understand individuality). As somebody who lives with Tourette’s Syndrome, I eventually just had to decide it’s okay to fly when the world says you’re supposed to fall.
And don’t get me started on DMD, or I’ll be jabbering on until the sun comes up.
I was fortunate enough to stumble across Marian Call’s Kickstarter campaign of yester-month (read: erm … August?). Her music is great. Witty lyrics, fun music … and she’s sweet, to boot.
No one works like she does. She constantly promotes herself, and I bet it pays off. Plus, one of the things that I adore about here is that she wears her “geek” cred like a badge of honor. She slickly references nerdy culture that the normal masses would miss.
Too often, new artists cave; they bend to the will of the masses. Not our fair Maid Marian!
To those not yet inculcated in the fine artistry Marian Call provides, may I humbly suggest you support her bandcamp page (http://mariancall.bandcamp.com/). Chick ROCKS!
I utterly adore Marian Call’s music! She was a special guest at the W00tstock concert that I went to with a bunch of friends on Halloween in 2010 and we all thought she was great. Her tunes are catchy and interesting, and her lyrics are amazing — especially in their use of physics metaphors which actually work! Current favorite lyric, from “Good Morning Moon”: “Who’s to say we’re falling if we miss the ground?”
* I notice that the article /shamefully/ does not mention her contribution to the film Zombie Cheerleading Camp, “We’re Out for Blood” 😛
Song of the Month missed. Also a Kickstarter fail. But not the Haiku.
love her music bring on more marian
I came across Marian randomly through twitter and have been in love with her music ever since! I love the intelligence of the music and how the more you listen the more you get/understand. But that pales in comparison to watching her live. She lights up the stage, is fantastically witty and a true showman. ❤
Marian Call’s music defies easy description, which is one of the things that I love about it. Yes, there are elements of jazz, folk, geek rock, and so many other things there, but the sum (as has been said by smarter people than I) is greater than the parts. You can see the fingerprints of everyone whose style she loves, and yet the music remains passionately her own.
Marian Call is an intelligent, creative, and gobsmackingly gorgeous souled woman and all of these things inform her talent with a lyric, a musical phrase, an arrangement.
These songs are like audio-potato chips. You keep going back for more. But unlike potato chips, they will not adversely affect your health. Enjoy them without guilt and share them with gusto.
LOVE this album, and these are two of my favourites! Marian’s music is so original, catchy and ear-worming I defy anyone to not find themselves humming at least a little! Highly recommended!
Some musicians are good poets, weaving amazing lyrics, but the music falls flat. Other musicians are very strong musically, but their lyrics are insipid. Marian Call is the best of both. She can craft a musically interesting song that lyrics that stand up on their own.
I’ve grown to like Marian Call’s unique way of putting things in perspective. It’s a twisty, fun way to pop out a lyric that sticks with you. I’ve seen her live 4 times so far in concert – and each performance brings something new to the table.
I’d suggest you catch her sing the next time she’s nearby. Or better, download these sample tracks – it’ll make you want to check out the rest of the album.
Tom
It’s hard telling about Marian to my friends. How do I describe the style, especially with my musical ignorance? How do I explain to an outsider that the music always keeps you on your toes (even when you press ‘repeat’ for the 6.02*10^23rd time)? Or how you’ll be constantly humming the lyrics to yourself everywhere?
But here? Here I can just give a link. http://mariancall.bandcamp.com/.
Songs to murmur while you’re working. Songs to sing out loud on the street, songs to dance to in the rain. Songs to whistle while you wait for the bus. Every bit finds a hook in your head and hangs on. Come on, get addicted!
She was super fun live! Saw her when she came to Ottawa this month and had a blast at the concert!
Dear Mr Darcy is perfectly awkward, in that teenage/Victorian kind of way. They do everything right, except actually tell each other how they feel. And Good Morning Moon is super catchy and really fun to sing along to.
Check them out!
Bruce Dickinson: I’ll be honest.. fellas, it was sounding great. But.. I could’ve used a little more typewriter. So.. let’s take it again..
My daughter loves these songs