**Limited to 200. Super awesome and weird.** The Birds of Marsville marks a dazzling new chapter for Friendly Rich (Richard Marsella), the Brampton-based composer celebrated for his raucous blend of vaudeville, jazz, classical, and outsider art. Released by Toronto’s We Are Busy Bodies, the album forms “book one” of a sprawling cycle inspired by the legend of Marsville, whose imaginary avian inhabitants serve as both musical subjects and cheeky provocateurs. Structured as a compendium, Marsella’s opus introduces listeners to 76 birds—each gifted a sonic persona through brief tracks and subtitles, with names like “The Dissonant Crooner,” “The Scatterbrained Incel,” and “The Spaghetti Bird” illuminating a universe of sly humour and inventive sound.
At the heart of the project is the orchestrion, a mechanical street organ whose calliope-like timbres anchor the ensemble’s adventures in sound. Marsella and collaborators—pianist Gregory Oh, drummer Nick Fraser, guitarist Nichol Robertson, percussionist Ed Reifel, and trombonist/tuba player Tom Richards—embrace a kaleidoscopic approach, traversing classical references, rock gestures, old-timey synth noise, and cartoon foley. Critics have placed the work alongside birdsong epics from Janequin, Messiaen, and Respighi, but Marsella’s approach is distinctly modern, weaving microtonal inspiration from Harry Partch with the playful orchestral drama of Zappa and Varèse. The album’s sonic palette veers from exuberant ensemble passages to meditative fragments, imbued with the carnivalesque colour and sharp detail that typifies Friendly Rich’s catalogue.
The Birds of Marsville is a joyous act of sonic world-building and a testament to Marsella’s unflagging capacity for creative risk. While its field guide format and witty subtitles invite easy comparison to the best traditions of programmatic composition, the album’s real achievement lies in marrying historical reference with contemporary irreverence. Marsella’s suite is equal parts homage, parody, and sincere celebration—a wild ride that invites repeated listening, playful exploration, and a renewed appreciation for the quirky vitality at the heart of experimental Canadian music.
