Kingsbury Manx - The Kingsbury Manx

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 17 / 12 / 2001

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Occasionally, very occasionally, I buy albums by bands completely unknown to me. Yes, maybe it is a bit stupid with the high price of CDs, but the few I've bought that way have not let me down yet. Perhaps it's the cover that says something to me, or the band's name. Whatever, I've discovered some good music like that, music I may not have heard otherwise. Both the cover painting and the band's name caught my eye on this debut release by The Kingsbury Manx. Also it is on the City Slang label, home to the wonderful Lambchop, which was another attraction. No band members are listed on the sleeve. The only things that are listed are the track titles, a few 'thanks' and the names of the engineer and the artist who painted the cover. So, there is an added element of mystery as well. A definite buy! Was I disappointed? A big No! It's an amazing debut. The 12 tracks are all beautiful, melancholic songs. Some of the songs that appear on it are softly sung and alternative country in tone ; others are influenced by Simon and Garfunkel, but it is an album that is difficult to categorise. The opener,' Pageant Square', has gorgeous guitar and heavenly organ. "No one could have seen this coming" they sing, and I don't think that anyone did! The second track, ' Regular Hands', brings to mind the feeling I had on hearing ' Pale Blue Eyes' by The Velvet Underground for the first time. Yeah, it's that good. The third track is possibly the best. ' Piss Diary' , a title which I feel lets the song down actually, starts with resigned vocals singing "You could always stay, even for a day, we could spend some time". It is a touching, heartfelt autumnal song. Although showcasing their talents, the a cappella ' Hawaii In Ten Seconds' sounds oddly out of place on the album. Not that it is a bad song. Full marks should also be given to the band for being brave and including it, but it somehow breaks the sad, longing flow of the rest of the album. Maybe that was the idea. The album sounds like Simon, Garfunkel and Elliott Smith backed by a hybrid of The Byrds and The Velvet Underground but don't let that put you off. It works. The few details I did manage to get about The Kingsbury Manx after buying the record revealed that the band made their debut at NYC's Town Hall opening for Elliott Smith ( bet that was good) and consists of four musicians who have known each other for some years having studied at the same school. After going their separate ways they all returned to their native North Carolina and started recording this album.

Track Listing:-

1 Pageant square
2 Regular hands
3 Piss diary
4 Cross your eyes
5 Blue Eurasians
6 Hawaii in ten seconds
7 How cruel
8 Fields
9 New old friend blues
10 Whether or not it matters
11 Fanfare
12 Silver trees

Label Links:-

http://www.cityslang.com/splash/
https://www.facebook.com/cityslang
https://plus.google.com/+CitySlang/videos
https://twitter.com/cityslang
https://www.youtube.com/user/CitySlang

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