MANIC “Floorboards”
In the bio sheet accompanying MANIC’s debut EP, the writer suggests that they are one of few bands with a name that clearly resembles their music. While the five songs on Floorboards are somewhat marked by frenzy in terms of their tempo and approach, the underlying music is all relatively the same. The Los Angeles band works within the confines of lush rock music by creating songs with strong buildups. This is heard both in “Mr. Evans” and “Leaving Araby.” The latter stands out as the album’s best cut. Here, the vocalist sings above simple instrumentation for nearly three-minutes. Upon the entrance of the full range of instruments, the song becomes very moody and near-epic in a fashion not unlike AS TALL AS LIONS. Interspersed between songs like this, the fellas in MANIC stick to a more straight-forward songwriting approach. “Chemicals For Criminals” is a key example of this as it contains just the right amount of hooks and vocals that sound a bit like MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK’s Justin Pierre, oddly enough. MANIC does use the keyboard throughout the EP, but I can assure you there’s not a hint of MCS-influence in that department. With the recent success of lush rock bands like SNOW PATROL, it’s no surprise that MANIC find themselves on a label like Suretone Records. Floorboards is a promising EP with just enough memorable moments to guarantee MANIC future play. Now all they’ve got to do is smooth out the edges and present a full-length that’s a bit more cohesive.
Suretone
