Member Since: 5/4/2005
Band Website: bellaunion.com
Band Members: UK Booking Agent - Jess Roberts (CODA) - [email protected]
Manager -Simon Raymonde - [email protected]
And here I am performing Alvsbyn live on TV:
Influences: Nick Drake, Fugazi, Tom Waits, Joanna Newsom, Sigur Ros, Jeniferever etc...
Sounds Like: LIVE
"The lyrics were heartfelt and guitar wise I was reminded of Jose Gonazlez, in the best sense possible. He just had that aura about him that all quality acts have"
flotation Suite.com
"With a voice reminiscent of Andy Yorke, but with that hard wood quality slightly softened, Marshall finger picks, strums and beats perfectly encapsulated pieces of anti-twee folk out of his acoustic, oblivious to the noisy punters around him. Compared to the strangled recordings of last year, this may as well be a completely different man.
rockmidgets.com
Like the first whispers of the wind, Paul’s soft edged voice and delicately-picked melodies sooth away all thoughts of confrontation, but below that charming exterior lies something darker, like the Brudenell's rudimentary lighting upon Paul's face, it is set half in shade and light, summery yet shadowy; the storm approaching.
BBC Leeds
ABOUT 'VULTURES'
With no obvious antecedents or precedents, we suddenly have a magnificent acoustic album from a songwriter/performer who (whisper, in case it throws a hex) has arrived fully formed as a serious artist at a high level.
Each song is visually evocative and emotionally dense. Passing among them is like time spent in a deserted gallery, each image more compelling and unsettling than the last. The authority of Marshall's performance is reassurance in a difficult place. The lyrics are streams of lost, tragic consciousness that, if you chose to follow, will lead you deeper into your own forests of uncertainty and set off visual fantasies that might disturb or delight. Depending on the weather perhaps. Or on you own state of mind.
Keep yourself still and shut out the rest of the world.
Listen once, or with half an ear, and you'll miss it. 10/10
whisperinandhollerin.com
Paul Marshall’s excellent guitar playing is mature yet humble, noodly acoustic finger pickings splendidly punctuated with pregnant pauses, and subtle vocals. “A Place on The Map†starts with heart-shatteringly beautiful harmonics whilst Paul taps rhythms gently on his guitar, before tripping into a swirly, lovely acoustic lull with soothing melodies and sincere lyrics.
He mixes major and minor keys impeccably, which keeps him away from the predictable pop sound that every ‘alternative’ band is gracing us with.
You can’t really afford not to hear this album, it’s absolutely beautiful 4.5/5
subba-cultcha.com
Paul Marshall is a part of that (leeds 'folk') scene and also is some senses already beyond it. His Debut album Vultures is a collection of pastorally beautiful songs, adding a vocal power and breathlessness that is at odds with the gentle fingerpicking and hammer-ons that back them. Vultures veers between being pleasant and unsettling. The melodies are often easy on the ear, but there is an underlying darkness both in marshalls pained vocals and the arrangements that underpin the tunes. It's a darkness that is echoed in the albums artwork by local illustrator Luke Drozd. It may look like a mere cartoon - but Jesus, is it dark 4/5
Leeds Guide Magazine
Throughout the album, the details add new depth that most folk artists cannot brag about. Whether it comes out through the subtle dissonant chords that weave in and out of his guitar patterns, or simply brilliant yet disconcerting lyrics. Overall, the album’s lyrical brilliance surpasses even the musicality, simply because Marshall’s lyrics are so original.
he performs this brand of folk with the legends of the genre.
one of the best debut albums of the year 4/5
sputnikmusic.com
Vultures is an intelligent, well-crafted and intriguing collection of nine songs, unravelling like a particularly intricate tapestry of surprising complexity.
From the backwards-opening sleeve to the buzzing strings of album opener ‘Valkommen’, Paul Marshall stands out from the rest of the flock. 4 Stars.
isthismusic.com
Essentially made up of wistful and enchanting guitar arrangements which are paired with a soothing though equally emotionally powerful vocal style, Paul Marshall's debut record is a more than adequate journey into contemporary folk.
Vultures should stand up with the strongest folk records released this year. The perfectionist-like execution and heart-wrenching qualities this excellent multi-seasonal debut possesses are very rarely matched elsewhere. Superb. 4/5
leedsmusicscene.com
Paul Marshall appears to be a champion of poignant and downright disturbing lyrics. An album heavy under the weight of its own sombre themes. That is by no means a criticism though as the simple style and well written lyrics combine to create a very stirring album which should lead to much more talk about Mr Marshall very soon indeed. 10/13
Roomthirteen.com
This, his debut album, is rich in heartfelt lyricism and subtle yet affecting-cum-effective instrumentation. It’s a record which showcases its maker’s talents, honed on the road for years before this release, perfectly well. Vultures is dominated by delightful acoustic mood-scaping. 7/10
Rock Sound Magazine
Stoic beauty is Marshall's stock in trade, and the Leeds singer-songwriter's mastery of the crucial distinction between reflective melancholy and banal self-obsession is evident on every track here; the atmosphere is intimate, yet at times brutally intense. As a whole, Vultures has to be considered a tremendous leap forward for him.
Sandman Magazine
Leeds resident Paul Marshall’s long awaited album finally arrives, over a year since appearing on Swedish outfit Jeniferever’s download only single ‘Sound Of Beating Wings’. ‘Vultures’ enables Marshall to step out of the singer songwriter melee and gain a personality all of his own. ‘Vultures’ is a very personal record, with Marshall’s exquisite guitar technique accentuating each lift and fall of his well pondered melodies. ‘A Place On A Map’ and ‘Knives In My Spine’ demonstrate Marshall’s Drake-esque qualities at their finest.
new-noise.net
He actually does have a wonderful way with a melody...
There are some beautiful moments, such as the lilting instrumental opening of 'Alcatraz', or the delicate 'Greenfly', the very essence of regret poured into a decidedly sinister lullaby.
rockmidgets.com
...Sweet plops of xylophone and various other accoutrements. Marshall is a comparative breath of fresh air.
drownedinsound.com
a beautifully sombre record, one which twists and turns extremely delicately with simple guitar strummings intertwined with an extremely fragile vocal
punktastic.com
Record Label: Bella Union
Type of Label: Indie