Burning the Golden Past Into the Wireless Future: Del Marquis’ Runaround

Back in April, I wrote a review about Scissor Sisters’ guitarist, Del Marquis, upon the release of his third solo EP, Litter to Society. The series and/or narrative of this solo project is now complete with the recent release of Runaround, more of a maxi-single than an EP; unlike the first three pieces, this one isn’t accompanied by a video, but it provides a massive celebratory finish for the cycle, delving generously into the unabashed production values of the 80s while staying organically grounded in a tight groove and deeper lyrical content.

The title track is a glossy, funky tune with plenty of drum machine, synth and bass to support Marquis’ rich vocals. It bubbles up like an irrepressible self-confidence and jubilant expression of breaking away – even if deceit covers your tracks. As he sings “Feeling so right now,” there’s a pleasurable cognitive dissonance, the vintage 80s era collapsing into the present. The next song, Lies By the Bed, uses brass and plinking piano to strut through the soulful delivery of lines like, “when you lie with the vicar it will sting the soul.” After the rather abrupt finish to Lies By the Bed, the slow burn of Each Time I Reach the Sun begins. A barrage of drums are scattered over the intro before settling into a seemingly tribal rhythm. Two minutes into the track, Marquis’ voice dramatically soars in with heart-thrumming passion as electric guitars saw away behind him. It’s my favourite song on the single as it swirls in a darkness made all the blacker for the grasping of intense sunlight. Knowledge and self-awareness can burn the retinas.

At this point, you get five remixes of earlier tracks, including three of Runaround. It could be a bit risky filling a maxi-single with so many versions of the same songs, but the idea works here, especially in light of the concept of multiplicity found in the earlier EPs. The first of these remixes is Character Assassination (BullycauRemix), which re-fashions a track from Marquis’ second solo EP. It’s a slower electro song, but it pulses with a delightful sensuality. With the added insistent and prominent bass along with some higher tones of synth, the Lifelike Remix of Litter To Society from Marquis’ third EP is a frothy, laser-caged version. I would certainly add a track like this to a dancefloor set. Then, there are the various forms of the title track, including the Baron Von Luxxury Silver Lake of Disco Dreams Remix, Louis La Roche ‘In 1995’ Remix, and Loose Cannons Supersonic Remix. The first has harsher metallic elements and some added grinding effects over the vocals, chugging forward like a fluorescent locomotive; however, space is still made for the soulful verses. The Louis La Roche remix pounds away with a more frenetic pace and adds guitar parts that remind me of Spiller’s Groovejet, hence probably the reference to the 90s (yes, Groovejet was released in 2000, but it still has those characteristic elements). In fact Louis La Roche smashes through a decade and ends up transforming something that was very 80s into something quite late 90s. The Loose Cannons Supersonic Remix is the most robotic of the three and dispenses with most of the vocals for warped synth sounds, taking the song the farthest away from its origins.

As much as I eagerly await any new material from the Scissor Sisters, I sincerely hope this isn’t the end of Del Marquis as a solo artist. Throughout this project he’s proven that he has his own distinct musical vision and vocal flair; his are definitely not throwaway pop tracks, but at the same time, they invoke older influences that deliciously resonate in a particular serotonin-soaked part of my brain. There’s also a neatly crafted identity project threaded throughout the EPs, creatively commenting on interiority and blurring the technology-human border. Even the way these EPs were released comments on society and music at the end of the noughties; convergence culture and the digital revolution is all over the project. While many others have returned to the 80s for inspiration this year, you get the feeling that Marquis really understands and embodies the essence; there’s a full-bodied warmth in these songs, nothing brittle or flimsy, and I can’t just dismiss them as Trevor Hornesque. The balance of light and dark is present in all of the music Marquis released over the past year, especially in his conception of “shadow” tracks. Marquis demonstrated that nothing is a fixed point; things can be explored from a multitude of angles and through myriad lenses. And I think we’re all questioning our interior lives more and more as our inner monologue fights to be heard above overwhelming static of the external communications that are invading our very consciousness. I think we currently have more in common with the future-focused, self-absorbed, laissez-faire 1980s than we like to think. Del Marquis is truly prescient in his solo work, burning the golden past into the wireless future.

** I would also like to add that Del Marquis has just collaborated with Microfilm on the excellent track I’ll Sing Like Billy Mackenzie in Heaven, which I’m also including for download here. Cracking song title, too. **

Runaround – Del Marquis

Each Time I Reach the Sun – Del Marquis

I’ll Sing Like Billy Mackenzie in Heaven – Microfilm featuring Del Marquis