The Birds of Marsville refers to an 18th-century ornithological guide by a certain C. Smalloochi, which describes the fauna of the vanished island of Marsville. This island located near Mauritius was wiped off the map by a gigantic volcanic eruption in the same century. Pardon? Never heard of it? In truth, it’s not surprising at all: it’s all pure fiction (but I bet that conspiracy theorists will eventually use it for their own ends….). A colourful fiction by Richard Marsella, alias Friendly Rich, a kind of Canadian mix of PDQ Bach, Harry Partch, Captain Beefheart and perhaps Ennio Morricone.
Friendly Rich is based in Brampton, Ontario, and has been ultra-active on the underground/avant-garde/experimental scene for 35 years. The Birds of Marsville is his 17th album. His music is a kind of gentle organised madness that seems steeped in good humour and fully embraced lack of seriousness. In the end, one is captivated by the almost infinite array of atmospheres, states of mind, and moods that the musician manages to conjure within the space of two tracks, each about 18 minutes long.
The instrumentation is in perfect symbiosis with the playful nature of the artist: a mechanical street organ that forms the nerve centre of the entire score, various percussion instruments, an electric guitar, a trombone, a tuba, and a few other tools that fall into the composer’s hands, who is also a member of the instrumental group.
The carnival-like character of the music is ideally conveyed by the organ, but with a freedom and spontaneity that make the whole thing, how to say, delirious.
As we listen to the two long tracks, we are led to visit this completely imaginary island and discover, as in a surreal hike, all sorts of improbable birds such as the Honker, the Bum Bum, and the School Shooters. It’s totally disorienting, but just as fascinating. You have to hear Friendly Rich’s music to believe it exists.
Imagine a musical cross between the subconscious of Baron Munchausen, a hallucinatory Tim Burton dream, and a circus for artists suffering from delirium tremens, and you’ll start to get the idea. This thing staged with visuals to match would be simply amazing. Which makes me think that, pushing his logic to the end, Friendly Rich designed the real fake guide in question with the help of his friend David C Hannan, a multidisciplinary artist and illustrator. If the adventure appeals to you, you can get it here:
https://www.blurb.ca/books/10797695-the-birds-of-marsville
You would never guess that such a thing exists before hearing it.
