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Artist: Marsupial
Album: Genus Thylacinus
Website: http://www.marsupialmusic.com
Genre: Progressive Rock/Jam band
Sounds Like: Phish, King Crimson, Allman Brothers
Technical Grade: 9/10
Production/Musicianship Grade: 9/10
Commercial Value: 6/10
Performance Skill: 10/10
Best Songs: The Man Who Knows Things, Naked In The Hall Of Seduction
CD Review:

Marsupial is a four man band from Asheville, North Carolina that follows the footsteps of jam bands like The Dead and Phish. Their new release, Genus Thylacinus draws on influences as diverse as Genesis and Frank Zappa.

The band consists of Ian Reardon on guitar and vocals, Forrest Smith on guitar, Brad Mehder on bass, and Chris Carter on drums and vocals. The songwriting credits indicate a high degree of collaboration and the result is a very tight band sound and some fine guitar driven rock. Lead On is the first cut. Its jam sound is reminiscent of Phish. But the second cut, The Man Who Knows Things surprised me. Its southern rock sound was more akin to The Allman Brothers at their jamming best. Naked In The Hall Of Seduction brought back memories of King Crimson while In Between, featuring Forrest Smith on pedal steel was eerily similar to The Grateful Dead. The Tide draws on jazz influences.

Genus Thylacinus is an eclectic collection of songs that seem to pay tribute to a wide variety of sources but Marsupial pulls it off. Their guitar driven rock touches a lot of bases but doesn’t miss a bet. If you are a fan of any kind of jam band music, Marsupial probably has a song for you.