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MARC MANNING "HERES A BREAKING SOUND" REVIEW ON AQUARIUS RECORDS
Totally moving, ominous and breathtaking sounds from this San Francisco artist who uses his voice, guitars, delay, and feedback to create wonderfully mysterious, haunting and beautiful music. Imagine a stripped down version of Earth joining forces with a Grouper, all dazed and dreamy and stately, and you start to get an idea of the soundworld Manning is exploring here. And it's not just a simple take on any one genre, not straight drone, or noise, or pop, or post-rock or goth, or doom, yet it combines elements of all of those to create something unlike most of the sounds being created by the new wave of underground bedroom lo-fi music makers.
Here's A Breaking Sound also has this awesome vibe and atmosphere that sounds a little like some of our favorite Swans records playing at a WAY slower speed or perhaps bands like Low and Codeine swathed in gobs of fuzz and distortion. We also can't help but hear bits of Hala Strana, Christina Carter's Bastard Wing project, and Tom Carter music stripped down bare bones, fused with elements or a much more primitive Loren Mazzacane Conners. There is this sprawling loner country vibe that runs through the record in such an amazing way. Like Flying Saucer Attack wandering all alone through the desert and setting up one amp in the middle of nowhere to play these mesmerizing songs to the earth and sky and spirits.
There is also a warmth and sense of song that is so much missing in many similar minded projects. What makes Here's A Breaking Sound really stand out is that you really do feel an emotional response to the songs. They don't hit you over the head or try to impress you with their extremity, but instead they understand the power of starkness and subtlety, a potent musical mood that brings evokes such darkly rustic daydreams. Highly recommended!
Each cover is hand drawn and we're not sure how many of these he made so better to act fast on this one.
MARC MANNING "HERE'S A BREAKING SOUND" REVIEW ON FOXY DIGITALIS
It was a fateful day when I scrolled through the list of new arrivals on the Aquarius Records website. I often peruse their catalog of offerings and give a quick listen to some of the samples that they provide from many of the available releases. My eye caught a glimpse of the new Marc Manning album, “Here’s a Breaking Sound.” Everything from the simple and minimal ink artwork to the curious album title dropped down on both knees and begged my attention. So, immediately I clicked on a sample of “Black Days,” the first track to open up the album, and I was caught off guard by what I heard. It was so fresh, original, and honest that I just knew I had to get it. It’s like when a certain young lady catches your fancy and she tugs at your heart, demanding your whole being; your thoughts, your feelings, your pursuits. The tracks latched onto my soul and wouldn’t let go, consuming me until I had my own copy. I remember obsessively watching for the mailman, listening for his footsteps, waiting to feel the vibrations when he rapped at my door. Finally, it was mine.
When I pulled my very own from its protective mailer it was even better than I imagined. All the art done on the bi-fold sleeve is unique to each copy. Mr. Manning takes the time and TLC to hand-ink his own mental manifestations, making what you receive even more of a precious treasure, a true work of art. But the best thing about owning my own copy was to have unbridled access to nine gorgeous tracks, instead of the three teasers on the Aquarius site. What I heard was just the prescription the doctor called for. This album was pure medicine; a relieving remedy, a calming balm, an IV to the soul.
Marc Manning is a San Francisco sound artist, who creates very intimate portraits via voice, guitar, and its effects; delay and feedback. It is a quiet exhibition into the interworkings of his life and individuality. It’s like a dissection of the invisible, intangible, completely unsearchable mysteries that make him who he is. Somehow we’re able to see what lies beneath without ever being able to feel excessively voyeuristic or satisfied. My experience has been a very personal knowledge or bond with the artist in this work, where you are almost able to live and feel what he himself feels in a closeness that is beyond words. An intensely raw and private exchange. What is delivered is a deep impenetrable sadness, a frozen stillness, a clear audible encounter with the human condition. This is worlds away from anything that is sappy, whiney, or out and out decadently depressing. Rather, “Here’s a Breaking Sound” is just a candid heart-to-heart with what it means to be a living flesh and blood creature.
I suppose the whole mood of the album is rather gray. The thick swirls of vocals and guitar are like the vortex of a sewer grate that receives a deluge on a rainy night. Very subtle approach though. Like a meek drama that plays out through song. Laid back, relying solely on the intensity of atmospherics. Sorta a complicated mix of folk noir, sluggish no wave, dark ambient, and everything that makes Marc Manning tick. You need to hear it for yourself. If you’re not left wanting this then please check your pulse. 10/10 -- Dave Miller (4 August, 2010)
MARC MANNING "AIR IN THE TREES" CD EP
Drawing influence from the forests of the Pacific Northwest, Portland-based artist/musician Marc Manning has crafted a collection of songs that explore the fears and joys we fill our days with. Throughout the EP’s seven tracks, Manning (who also fronts the band Everything Is Fine, performs drone epics under the moniker Heavy Lids and is one third of the Red Weather Tigers collaborative with Tract Records label mates Grumpy Bear and Theath ) immerses you in a post-4AD swirl of guitars that are perfectly contrasted by his gentle cooing vocals. Despite the greenery often touched upon in these songs, this disc is more about man versus himself than nature. In the disc’s standout track "U.G.," the spoon-bending antics of famed mentalist Uri Geller act as a metaphor for a moment of euphoria in an otherwise joy-free existence. What the song is suggesting is that changing our consciousness can be done as easily as Geller’s cutlery parlor tricks. Elsewhere on the disc, Manning uses the wail of his electric guitar to ward off unseen forces that seem to be conspiring against him, as exemplified by the gorgeous "Storms" and the instrumental "Shakey." While the foes presented in those songs may not be tangible, the same can’t be said for "Glass," a harrowing tale of a home invasion that was inspired by actual events. Ending the disc is "Moonlight Is Bright," the saddest shot at salvation you’re ever likely to hear. But it’s damn beautiful as well. This duality seems to reinforce Manning’s ultimate message that you should immerse yourself in the good things while you can, because disaster might be waiting for you just around the corner.
everything is fine itunes link!
