In Afraid of Sunlight, Marillion have resurrected the theme of their 1987 treatise on the black-tie set, Tux On, and extended it to album length. In a supreme feat of concise understatement, the label's press release states simply that the album addresses fame and its effects on those who possess it, and completely fails to mention that all the effects covered are negative. The album's protagonist, the King, is a sort of everyman tragic hero, on bad terms with his lover, the law, the media, and himself. Six of the eight tracks deal with his despairing state.
The soaring track "Beautiful," one of the two exceptions to the overall theme, will doubtless join the ranks of other anthemic favorites by the group. Fans of the twisted will likely enjoy "Cannibal Surf Babe," in which the band combines bondage, sadomasochism, and the Beach Boys. The music is uniformly well-written throughout, and makes for pleasant listening, with most of the related songs blend into an extended tapestry of sound.
Eight years ago, Tux On seemed somewhat bitter and mocking, but in this day and age, the effect of Afraid of Sunlight is saddening or depressing, like a television documentary on fallen heroes. It's not quite music to slit your wrists to - unless you're famous, or used to be - but it's easily more unsettling than Tux On ever was.
