Album Review: Marshall Holland and the Etceteras
The name of this act – Marshall Holland and the Etceteras is a rock-pop red herring: every sound you’ll hear on this delightful record was produced by Holland himself. The tunes are often gentle excursions with crystalline production, pop melodies that fold in subtle elements such as accordion and acoustic guitar. Holland often overdubs his enchanting voice to fill out the sound, and his songwriting has the flavor of Jackie DeShannon.
This self-titled album (originally self-released but since picked up by jangle-pop brain trust Mystery Lawn Music) is an intimate affair: though it’s carefully put together, it has a warm and friendly ambience that makes the listener feel they’re in the room (or studio) with Holland. “Oh Please” has a decidedly Merseybeat flavor. Imagine an Emitt Rhodes with infinitely fewer personal issues (and less of a Paul McCartney fixation) and you might end up with Marshall Holland. Holland prefers the texture of pizzicato strings, tinkling glockenspiel and ethereal harps (“Fool Me”) over crunchy power chords; his straightforward songwriting style and vocals recall Elliott Smith. The brief instrumental “To the Scene of Them All” suggests that Holland could move into soundtrack work (paging Wes Anderson) should he want to.
Note: Due to an unusually full schedule this week and next – you wouldn’t believe me if I told you – my posts will be a bit shorter than typical. Once the dust settles, my normal wordy posting will recommence.
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About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4500-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he taught a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.