Marshall Falcon – Permanent Resident (Album Review)

I am a huge fan of when people combine the old-school feeling of Americana music with alternative elements. These song structures give me a unique blend of music that gives you either ‘strong bangers’ or delivers a very universal and fresh sound. Today, we have got exactly that from Marshall Falcon’s new LP, Permanent Resident.

The Tex-Mex troubadour Marshall Falcon, described by others as “border rock”, “CountryPunkSoul”, and “Psychedelic Norteño”, is finally back with a 10-track studio album under his belt. So let’s see what he brings around this time:

Just from the interlude itself, Marshall easily captures your attention with the brooding psychedelia feel that is driven by those slow and intrusive guitar chords. As soon as I heard it, I certainly painted a certain picture in my head about the album, as those trance-like and hypnotic sounds that were predominant are not something you usually hear on an Americana album, right? Yet, all the fun begins when we get to the booming and driving “Highway 99”.

The track itself feels as easy and grand as a road trip banger should feel. The artist’s immediate jump to the song doesn’t give you any build-ups; instead, it provides you an immediate ear candy. Marshall’s vocals also complement the overall dynamic and thunderous sound of the song. I like how he finds a nice balance between his vocals being wailing and breathy, as they are quite soothing but also could be extremely eruptive if needed, like on “Cleopatra”, where Marshall takes a more melodic approach with the languid sound to it.

Remember when I mentioned the bit of psychedelia to the record? Well, it is because while the album’s sound is not just the usual slow-paced mix of guitar and drums, the artist often loves to play with their delivery, jumping from the more heartfelt style to something lush and then to a dynamic part again.

On a track like “Firebird”, you are getting this glitchy and more faded away sound that feels spacious and echo-laden, really mixing things up after a slow-paced track. “Firebird” certainly feels rougher and noisier than other parts of the track list, which also makes it more trippy. The cyclical and fragmented synths showcase to you that there are still angles in Americana that you have not heard before.

What I also like about Permanent Resident is that it feels like the stream-of-consciousness from the artist. Marshall feels extremely free-flowing and unfiltered in his lyrics, giving it a more relatable angle. With great mixing and production all around, you are just getting perfectly rhythmic performances that are sometimes unusual and intricate.

However, like every Americana album, it still has its feel of being slightly more incantatory. The hypnotic sounds of the guitar that feel dreamlike sound cyclical and aesthetic to the best extent. Like on “My Hometown”, that feels so relaxed as almost too lazy, yet it also just feels atmospheric, similarly to the whole record. Rhythmically, songs don’t seem to evolve that much more, as after “Firebird”, Marshall significantly slows down to the more poignant and soaring delivery.

I have noticed that for many artists, it is quite an issue to execute something smooth and more elegant, yet it doesn’t seem to trouble Marshall. “Hey Old Friend” is a perfect demonstration of how the velvety feeling of the vocals are combined with a more minimal sound for the maximum impact.

Score/Excellent: Quite frankly, I am impressed. While I do really wish that the artist dived into more of those unpredictable sounds like on “Firebird”, it is undeniable that the album is perfectly rhythmic and metronomically ideal. Great themes and strong song accompaniments make this a decent effort all around. Really enjoyed this one, great record.

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding].

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