The Manic Shine
Blindsider
Tuesday 7th of June 2011
Blindsider is a record of awesomeness from The Manic Shine. Rarely would you listen to a record with such a combination of references all packed into one tasty biscuit.
'My Woman (I Love Nothing About You)' has bits that range from Faith No More, to The Spin Doctors, to Audioslave - but there are no visible joins in this rocking, funked up massive sound.
Things are brilliant once more with the excellent guitars of 'Miss Nothing', which combines the good bits of eighties rock with the best bits of modern rock and indie. It is totally different to the opener, but just as stunning. It's like Angels and Airwaves combined with Biffy Clyro - what could be better than that?
'The Poet And The Lullaby' is the unbelievably good third track. The guitar solo in this song is a classic and the transitions from Police-esque rhythms to massive synth-soup tones and smoking chorus lines is impressive.
The soulful 'Til Your Pockets Glow' mixes funky guitars with a clever beat. This song results is suitably epic moments, and the massive waves break into choppy passages and glassy stillness with so much complexity creating currents beneath the surface.
'Piece Of Strange' sounds almost Celtic with its clever guitars, distinctive bass and percussion. This song is a moment of reflection after four incredible tracks - an intermission of sorts at this half-way point.
'My Isle, My View' is a slow but powerful stomper with an awesome chorus. This song is like Twin Atlantic without the accent, draped in hooks and with guitars that are brimming with intent.
The guitars in 'Fuse' have a looped feel, pumping out a hooky line that works over several pace changes. This song is muddier and moodier than the others, but still pulls out a tidy chorus and has lots of great instrumentation. By the end of the song, it has transformed entirely and the final refrains add something special to the track.
'Legs' has the cheekiness of an Aerosmith song and some very funky guitars. The extended instrumental section is utterly massive with an incredible amount going on.
Like a nineties guitar tune, 'Ashes For Answers' has a strong melody with big guitar lines that turn the verse all awesome. The chorus is big both musically and lyrically and they manage to crank it up a few notches too. This is probably the most pop-esque track on the record, but it still rocks.
It is rare to hear an album that have an opening triplet as strong as the three songs that open this record - 'Miss Nothing' is one of the best songs ever recorded. However, The Manic Shine just don't stop the flow, with 'My Isle, My View' proving to be another one of the best songs ever recorded.
You must listen to this band, they are amazing.
Author: Michael Beck
Label: Self-Released
Found in: Record Reviews