So, Manitoba then...

It is a peach of an album, it really is, bloody marvellous.

What I like about Capitol K is big PROG ROCK guitar riffs mixed with galloping stuttering dance beatz and occasional passages of gentle shoegazer beauty. If I like that, am I likely to like Manitoba?

The Manitoba album is everything that Nick says, it's got swirly guitars, great drums, fantastic drums, some really good frog noises, there's definitely a sennse of humour in there but it bnever descends to the pits of wacky, it's just great.

[okay, I'm belabouring this, I know -- some things are just funny, intrinsically so, like frogs and chickens]

Three tracks in and I hear MBV guitar fuzz and Spiritualized drones and baa baa baa harmonies and free jazz wibbling and, yes, frog noises. Kate, you'll love it.

was this t*ny m*rley, kate? tall guy?

anyway the manitoba album's fantastic.

Oh well.

I've got real frogs outside my bedroom winddow and they make all the frog noises I need. Plus you can pick them up and pet them and they're not even that slimey.

Ned, the last track sounds soooooo much like Loveless you have to hear it just for that.

One obvious ref. point = Spiritualized, if Jason had spent his advance on a computer and software rather than drugs and hundreds of session musicians. (Manitoba's got those very droney chords that last exactly one bar and then modulate, just like Spiritualized do). But there are lots of Beatles-y and Byrds-y harmonies in there too. Plus those drums! In short, another genre-busting Leaf label release.

Slight quibble on first listen - some of the tracks are too short! There are lots of ideas and grooves that could have been developed further.

While I'm posting again, the Hot Hot Heat LP is also recommended, albeit for different reasons.

Oh well, I'm off to see is there any frog spawn yet.

Of course you'll love it Kate, its Canadian!

Manitoba on the other hand were something else, can't wait to see them again soon.

Hm. That's where I am so far on this so far. So, uh, beats with semi-psychedelic pop rock grooves. It's nice. Nice. But considering all of the praise upthread I am, so far, feeling let down. I was expecting MBV or Spiritualized kinda stuff and instead I'm hearing more...oh, Soup Dragons or Kula Shaker. I'm only on track three so far though, so maybe something will change, or maybe repeated listenings will bring out its charms.

It's not the electro-shoegaze verison of Smile, but it's worth checking out. Better than a lot of the crap I've heard lately.

Gah!

Double gah!

I neeed Manitoba...

X-Ray then by any chance... Up In Flames is a killer record btw... Manitoba did a v good live show at 100 club in london last week if anyone's interested...

You've eaten too much pink candy floss and been on the whirly spinney things at the fair and that's okay because those whirly spinning things could only make a complete pussy throw up but now it's your headache and your swirly feeling and your candy floss puke on the pavement and you're the pussy and the floor's still spinning and will it ever stop?

This sounds like the BEST MUSIC EVAH!!! I love candy floss! I love the whirly spinny thing! I always throw up, but the sensation of eating candy floss and whirling is so great that it's worth it!

heh. I was waiting for someone to mention this. Haven't seen that remarked upon in too many, or any, really, reviews.

sample email exchange from buddy to me:

"Dude, what's it sound like, anyway?"

"Heh. First track sounds like Chapterhouse with more reverb. This is kinda neat."

[...30 minutes pass...]

"Dude! get this! this is fucking killer!"

Nah, not really worth tracking down, but if you see it and its reasonably priced give it a shot. A 2 Disc version with several remixes exists as well. I like the Manitoba album better since its got more Mercury Rev and Sp3 in it. Otherwise the resemblence is striking.

Re: up my ass

I just re-read my review & I stand by it completely. I think I did a pretty good job explaining why the record works & who might like it. What were you expecting after reading my review?

I do think that some of the interest in the Manitoba record, at least from people who liked his first album a lot, is that he went in such a completely different direction. At a time when a lot of people are wondering if IDM has reached a cul de sac, he decided to abandon it for retro pop. If you don't care about electronic music or what Snaith did earlier, the record might have just a little less punch.

Nope -- symptomatic of the whole feeling I've got towards listening to music a lot these days, please refer to my various posts on the 'top singles of 2003' thread for more. In this case though, rather than not being all that excited over constant new thrills, I feel dulled by all the Beach Boys/Chapterhouse/Chemicals invocations and can't be bothered to care more. I do again note your comment about sounding like Loveless on its final song but jeez, I've heard enough that wants to sound like Loveless over time after all...

Your review is accurate, I agree, and many people have been praising Up In Flames, so to blame you specifically was a bit harsh. However, I do stand by the claim that if an act like Beulah was to have made this same album, there is little chance it would have garnered an 8.6. Bands shouldn't be given bonus points just for changing their style or doing something unexpected.

I listen to mountains of indie and electronica, but this album just doesn't turn my crank much. For me, it's too much of a rambling mess. I'll take something like that Digital Jockey album anyday over this. I think it's OK, but not fantastic like many people have asserted.

Also,

Recipe for 'Seething Cozen': just add Four Tet's 'Rounds'.

I guess with all the nany-nany-poo-poo's this might not be the best time to mention there'll be some West Coast Manitoba/Dabrye dates in September?

Speaking of up your ass...

Heh... Sorry my British friends for being so Americancentric (we do that). Isn't Manitoba playing Reading/Leeds though? But 'ere's the dates then:

9/18 San Diego - Casbah
9/19 LA - Spaceland
9/20 San Fran - Bottom of the Hill
9/24 Portland - Medicine Hat Plan B
9/25 Seattle - Chop Suey
9/26 Vancouver - Sonar

It'll be cool when Dykehouse finally releases his record, so we can match them both up and FITE FITE FITE!

xx

I used to be like Louis.

Pitchfork tells me it's been 5 years. I have no desire to ever hear this again.

Wow, five years?! That's kind of frightening. I don't listen to this half as often as his last two, but I can still imagine wanting to, and in fact have a couple of times recently.

Andorra > Flames > Milk > debut

(but this is all relative to mood, i guess)

Still enjoyable.

I still need to get hold of Up In Flames and Milk

Weirdly, I have "Start Breaking My Heart" but have almost never listened to it

Milk might actually be my most-played these days, just because it sits very nicely as music for music's sake without being too mentalist or pop.

which is the most mentalist one

Up In Flames, I'd say; it's the most breakneck, ideas-per-minute one. Milk is calmer, more laidback.

Ha, well, there's actually no guarantee I'd prefer UIF these days. We'll see.

Milk is still pretty fucking mental.

Up in Flames would be in my top 30 or so albums this decade. A landmark album.

Am liking Up In Flames muchly!

(yeah, I am on a bit of a "soooo what's Southall recommended me during my ILX'n years" tip at present, largely brought about by the dearth of new interesting music in 2009)

(also brought about by Spotify)

So far, Milk is possibly even better

Up in Flames would be in my top 30 or so albums this decade. A landmark album.

Yeah, I think it's a special disc, too. Not as enthusiastic about his work since then.

The deluxe edition of UIF is excellent, too. The B-Sides of all his albums are nearly as good as the studio material, and he puts out so much material!

I wasn't feeling Milk too much, but thought Andorra was fantastic -- that was a top 10 of the year for me. It's his shimmery summery psych-"pop" record, if anything is.