Embracing a self-produced experimental pop that favors both bold, inventive timbres and melodic hooks, guitarist Steve Marion has carved a whimsical niche for himself over the course of four albums as
Delicate Steve. Just five months after delivering the holiday release
The Christmas Album in November 2018, he continues to explore his growing collection of custom guitars, effects pedals, and synthesizers on his fifth long-player,
Till I Burn Up. It takes its title from mishearing the lyrics "tit Alberta" in the
Dr. John song "Walk on Guilded Splinters." Including two briefer interludes,
Till I Burn Up presents 12 instrumental tracks in 35 minutes, nearly ideal for his emphasis on hummable pop. Combining spare drum samples, distorted rock tones, blippy '80s computer sounds, and murky synth voices like no one else in the 2010s, tracks like "Rubber Neck" and the post-punky "Madness" sometimes confuse sound origins. For some insight into the recording process, it was revealed that the eerie, driving "Selfie of a Man" was recorded on a Oberheim OB-X analog synthesizer that once belonged to
Freddie Mercury. These types of '70s and '80s influences, whether incorporated into instrumentation or more abstract, abound on the record, including in arena-friendly guitar performances, though he prioritizes singable melodies over showy virtuosity. Amidst the bigger, bolder sounds, smaller details such as birdcall-like flourishes ("Way Too Long") and floaty, mechanical hissing noise ("Ghost") keep things weird. The hooks here aren't as memorable as on 2017's
This Is Steve, but
Till I Burn Up is still fun, occasionally fascinating, and uniquely
Delicate Steve. ~ Marcy Donelson