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By RYAN MAVITY
I’m not exactly sure what to call this one. How the World Came to an End by Norwegian band Manes is a difficult album to pin down. I guess the best I can do is call it a mix of trance, trip-hop and industrial. Tricky meets Nine Inch Nails, although it’s more in line with the former than the latter.
I will be the first to admit that I’m probably the wrong dude to review this kind of music. I’m not a real big fan of house, techno or trip-hop, mostly because it tends to drone on and on and not go anywhere. It’s less music than a soundtrack for people to drop ecstasy, get laid, wave glowsticks and stay awake until 6 a.m. And while I can see how it appeals to people, it’s just not my scene. Nonetheless, Manes is not going to change any of that. I have the same issue with this album as I’ve always had with artists of this genre like Tricky, Portishead and Aphex Twin; it just doesn’t do anything for me. Sure, there are some decent beats and rapping (in what I think is Norwegian) which is a fun touch, but if you’re not popping little red devils, its effect is minimized.
Like I said, there are a few decent things on here and a few surprises: the aforementioned Norwegian (I think) rapping on “Come to Pass”; the Radiohead Kid A-style beeps on “Last Lights”; and the jangly guitars and NIN-like catharsis on “Nobody Wants the Truth.” It’s really not bad music; it’s just that it all seems so robotic and computerized. Is that the point? It was on Radiohead’s Kid A/Amnesiac albums and on NIN’s Year Zero but there’s no Thom Yorke or Trent Reznor around to put some kind human face on the proceedings. I suppose Manes is trying to do something similar, but if that’s the case, the idea doesn’t come across as clear. It feels more like a couple of guys who were set loose with ProTools and just couldn’t stop themselves. Either that or these dudes have been smoking a little too much peyote.
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