''Quicksilver – The Masquerade Macabre'' is the debut solo album by

Marcus Reeves Marcus Reeves (born 3 February 1979, Clapham, London) is a London-based writer and performer. Biography Marcus Reeves is best known as the creator of '' Postcards from God – The Sister Wendy Musical''. In an interview by Paul Burston in '' T ...

released on 5 November 2013. The thirteen tracks were written by Reeves, who also co-produced with his musical collaborator Michael Roulston ( Dusty Limits, David Hoyle, Sarah-Louise Young, Harold Sanditen). The album was mixed and mastered by Nick Trepka ( Emmy The Great,

Speech Debelle Corynne Elliot (born 17 March 1983 in London, England), better known as Speech Debelle, is a British rapper signed to the Big Dada record label. She was the winner of the 2009 Mercury Prize for her debut album ''Speech Therapy''. She released h ...

Kieran Leonard Kieran Leonard, also known as Saint Leonard and Saint Leonard's Horses, is a British musician, songwriter, actor and author. He currently performs most frequently with his backing band The Horses and has previously toured in support of Father Joh ...

Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer, songwriter, DJ, author and mixed media artist. Best known for his soulful voice and his androgynous appearance, Boy George has been the lead singe ...

). The album is written from the point of view of Reeves' alter-ego, ''Quicksilver'': "The album has a loose storyline that takes in the themes of identity, love and death. Songs like ''Behind The Mask'' and ''Welcome to the Underworld'' were written specifically with Quicksilver in mind. The actor created the character from the outside in, but it has then taken over and written the script." Reeves has also described the collection as "a sonic threesome between

Aladdin Sane ''Aladdin Sane'' is the sixth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 20April 1973 through RCA Records. The follow-up to his breakthrough ''The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'' (1972), it was the fi ...

, Hedwig and the Angry Inch (musical) and

The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical) ''The Phantom of the Opera'' is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart, and a libretto by Lloyd Webber and Richard Stilgoe. Based on the 1910 French novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux, it tells the story of a ...

Track listing

All music and lyrics written by

, except track 4: Reeves/Young. # Ghosts (3.18) # Welcome to the Underworld (3.13) # Masquerade (3.09) # Smoke & Mirrors (3.07) # Radio Head (3.07) # The Disappearing Man (4.31) # Gone (4.03) #

Black Tears "Black Tears" is a song by Australian alternative rock band Powderfinger, from their sixth studio album ''Dream Days at the Hotel Existence''. The song is an acoustic ballad in a folk music style, beginning with one guitar and a lead vocal, la ...

(4.15) # Mistaken Identity (3.17) # Behind The Mask (2.54) # Mad Bad World (4.09) # Quicksilver (3.20) # After Life (4.55)

Release and reception

The album was streamed with track by track written commentary by Marcus Reeves at Thisiscabaret.com and launched with a full band show at London's Lost Theatre. The performance was chosen as Time Out Critics Choice, with Cabaret Correspondent Ben Walters giving a positive review: 'It's an impressively ambitious undertaking, wide-ranging in its musical choices, with catchy and moving results; striking in its theatricality, balancing ballsy showmanship with personable charm; and provocative in its take on modern relationships and ego.' The album was met with positive reviews online, with coverage from Gay Times, Pride Life Magazine, QX Magazine, Sound on Sound and Polari, who chose it as one of their top albums of 2013, alongside titles by mainstream acts including

Pet Shop Boys The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo i ...

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

and

M.I.A. (rapper) Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam (born 18 July 1975), known by her stage name M.I.A. (an initialism for both "Missing in Action" and "Missing in Acton"), is a British rapper and singer. Her music combines elements of alternative, dance, elect ...

References

{{Authority control 2013 debut albums