What is quite remarkable about Marble Valley’s album Breakthrough is that despite the confession that this album was recorded through 5 continents and in 17 different countries that it hangs together so well. The fact that Pavement drummer Steve West was fitting this album in whilst in the middle of the Pavement reunion tour of 2010, would normally have pushed any side project into the background, but West has persevered and produced something that although not perfect is an wholly enjoyable release.

Art Pistol is not only the opening track, but a classic in the making. All tinkling sounds, heavy bass and slammed guitar chords it just screams rock. Steve’s vocals are classically gruff, whilst sawing guitar notes are joined by hammered piano notes as the chorus kicks in. It is a big, confident, swaggering beginning to Breakthrough.

However, here’s the downside with Art Pistol promising so much, the rest of Breakthrough can best be described as stoner rock. Wildfire Free-zone combines that downer vocal style, with spoken allegories of “play with fire and you’ll get burnt”. Equally despite We Roll opening to synthesised notes and rapid drums, it just all settles back into that stoner rock mode.

Sweet Compression breaks that mould, subtly building to a rather aggressive baseline that burns underneath those stoned sounding vocals, before the guitar leaps through the musical landscape. The Dan Map Experience sounds like a LP being played at too slow a speed (ask your Dad kids - or possibly Grandad!!), fuzzy guitars and plenty of reverse reverb, but it is nothing in comparison to Toyko Hands, which is all squeaky noises and psychedelic spoken lyrics that vie with sampled drums and choppy guitars, it is Marble Valley at their most surreal.

Crickey Lane sounds like it has stolen its theme from the Arctic Monkeys, whilst Chin Chin is the final track on Breakthrough, which is a shame as it’s a quiet ending drawing thoughts that this is Marble Valley’s 'Auld Lang Syne' and suffers a little from following on from Groover, whose sampled space rock sounds is a pretty upbeat piece and opens up all possibilities for an epic live number.

Drummers are often the butt of many a musical joke and there are a fair few who have tried and failed to rise up above the drum kit, Steve West deserves credit for creating something worthy of a listen and stoner rock fans will love what Marble Valley have to offer, but it maybe just a little too downbeat for everyone else to stomach in one go.

Reviewed by Jimbo Walsh.

Marble Valley's Breakthrough is available now to order from Amazon.