The Kingsbury Manx Albums (5)
What The Critics Say
Four years after releasing 2005's The Fast Rise and Fall of the South, the Kingsbury Manx have returned with their fifth full-length album, Ascenseur Ouvert! (that's "Open Elevator" in French), which finds the group newly embracing the notion of cottage industry, releasing the disc on their own Odessa Records imprint rather than working with some indie label. The group's musical approach, however, hasn't changed much; while the faint alt-country accents that emerged on Aztec Discipline once again appear on the horizon, Ascenseur Ouvert! is dominated by the beautifully lackadaisical melodic sense that's long been the group's trademark, with the steady but deliberate ebb and flow of the tunes lurking somewhere between psychedelia, folk-rock, and art rock at its most pastoral. "Well, Whatever," "Mend/Move," and "Over the Oeuvre" are the token (relatively) uptempo selections (they have melodies you can actually hum and the former could pass for a tribute to those gloriously bummed-out Canadians the Poppy Family), but the rest of Ascenseur Ouvert! eases along with the quiet majesty of the band's best known music. The Kingsbury Manx's impressive gifts as both composers and arrangers remain a wonder to behold, bringing a rich variety of colors, textures, and moods to these recordings that invest the album with an admirable eclecticism; while every song sounds distinctly like the Kingsbury Manx, each has an aural identity of its own, and it's obvious these musicians aren't running out of new ideas about where to take their music just yet. Ascenseur Ouvert! is beautiful, graceful stuff that gently pulls at the heart and the soul, and you'd be hard pressed to name another American act that follows the same muse with such rewarding results. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
'The Fast Rise and Fall of the South'
Release Date 9/20/2005
Tracks 13
Label Yep Roc
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
After two years of work, a tour van wreck, and a change of label, North Carolina indie soft rockers Kingsbury Manx released their third full-length album, The Fast Rise and Fall of the South, and it seems that the long road to get there was well worth the trouble. The Fast Rise and Fall is, no doubt, the finest selection of songs the boys have put out since their dark and atmospheric self-titled debut EP, and where 2003's Aztec Discipline moved the group more toward the bouncier side of indie pop, The Fast Rise and Fall finds the band returning to its initial trajectory of blending British folk-psychedelia with softly rocking Americana. It's a high and lonesome sound, punctuated with washes of tasteful lushness and passive-aggressive muscle, resembling what it would be like if you could do a mash-up between Pink Floyd's Obscured by Clouds and the Kinks' Village Green Preservation Society -- evoking the "straining to be epic" musicality of the former and the pastoral, "day in the life" lyricism of the latter. Where other American bands with a heavy classic Britpop bent (like the Lilys or Of Montreal) strive to sound as un-American as possible -- copping the guitar tones, song structures, and (sometimes) even the accent of their British influences -- the Kingsbury Manx remain firmly rooted in the soil of their native North Carolina, even while they stand in the English rain. Theirs is a distinctly American sound that brings the British influence to the songs quite naturally -- intuitively -- and is more of a love letter to their musical heroes than an effort to become them. For every moment on the album that recalls XTC, the Moody Blues, the Kinks, or Floyd, there's another (often within the same song) that borrows from Elliott Smith, Archer Prewitt, Yo La Tango, or Wilco. The word to remember here is "balance," and the Kingsbury Manx never fall too heavily on either side of the Atlantic -- at least not heavily enough to lose their own distinct sense of place, somewhere between Chapel Hill and the Village Green. ~ J. Scott McClintock, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Kingsbury Manx's third album, Aztec Discipline, continues down the path of quiet excellence established on their first two albums. The hallmarks of their sound are all present and accounted for: the breathy vocals and lush vocal harmonies, the layers of gently strummed guitars, the daydreamy tempos, the melancholy melodies. This time around there is more emphasis on the pastoral aspect of their sound; a couple of the tracks ("Growler in the Rumbleseat," "Creature of Habit") even approach alt-country territory. Of course, the vocals are too restrained and pretty for alt-country; they are more in line with the neo-psychedelic country of Beachwood Sparks and the Lowlights. There is also a bit more care taken with the arrangements to keep the songs from sounding too similar, a problem that lightly plagued their last effort. About halfway through the record when it seems ready to capsize into a midtempo moody murk, they drop in the downright perky country-rocker "Grape to Grain" to change the pace. Aztec Discipline is filled with some of the band's strongest songs ("Pinstripes" and "Pelz Komet" even have hooks!) and the usual strong performances and low-key guitar heroics. They save the very best for last. The absolutely beautiful "Fixed Bayonets" is neo-psych country at its best. The down-home banjo, weeping pedal steel, and above all the aching melody and wistfully sweet vocals are sure to have all but the most stone-hearted weeping into their beverage of choice. It makes one wish that the whole album were this transcendent. Oh well -- it is still a good record. Certainly those who liked the last two records (and EP) will find this to be a wonderful addition to the band's catalog. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Its sophomore slump title to the contrary, Let You Down deepens and expands upon the shadowy brilliance of the Kingsbury Manx's self-titled debut, refining their uniquely pastoral psychedelia to achieve even greater uniformity of atmosphere and mood. The disc is less accessible than its predecessor, meaning that none of the songs immediately distinguish themselves from the others, but on repeated listens the inner logic of the music begins to take shape. Adorning its hypnotically circular melodies with textures both rural and cosmic, Let You Down is perfectly modulated, with soothing harmonies and shimmering guitars that evoke the moments between consciousness and slumber with pinpoint accuracy. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
A quartet hailing from Chapel Hill, NC, the Kingsbury Manx make music in the classic English pop tradition. On its self-titled debut, the band seamlessly blends its home country's indie rock trappings with overseas influences. The Kingsbury Manx is the aural equivalent of a cozy winter fire, with English flavors cloaked in warm, humming organs, acoustic guitars, and tender melodies. It's an unassuming, musically whimsical, minor triumph. Throughout, the band spins quaint melodies that date back to the days when the concept record was the ultimate test of a group's possibilities as well as its limitations. The tunes have a ring of familiarity, although their sources cannot be directly traced. The Manx may have pilfered a book of Christmas carols for the opening "Pageant Square." "Fanfare," on the other hand, sounds like a slice of early Pink Floyd. On The Kingsbury Manx, these songs are of a piece with more modern material like the instrumental "Blue Eurasians." This song is the indie rock equivalent of an aimless "jam" and can be equally indulgent and uncommunicative; however, the Manx keep a hand on the reigns and adhere to structure, ultimately sticking to a more passive ebb and flood of dynamics. The members have the sort of pedestrian voices common amongst the '90s wave of British groups like Ride and Slowdive. This suits the material fine, and only becomes a problem on one song -- beginning with an effortless interplay of cascading guitar tones which are kept as the song's backdrop, "Piss Diary" finds the vocalists singing a chorus of Simon & Garfunkle-esque harmonies almost out of their range. The Kingsbury Manx's debut is a success largely because ambition and capability are rarely out of balance. Mining simple melodies to build textures and develop songs, the group avoids the sort of garish missteps made by more zealous, less accomplished pop acts. ~ Nathan Bush, All Music Guide
