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Artist: Serena-Maneesh
Label: PlayLouderRecordings
Length: 11 tracks/ 58:15
Getting their start via some help and hype generated by some of America’s current Christian indie favorites, Serena-Maneesh’s debut finally makes its way over the Atlantic and into the States. And it’s a welcome coming – firmly rooted in the dreamy, droning shoegaze of classic My Bloody Valentine yet transcending the genre with their own psychedelia/rock twist, Serena-Maneesh is both a throwback to sounds of the nineties and a successful continuation into a fresh and modern style of their own.
Nearly every song avoids the typical pop song build, choosing a varying mixture of heavy and soft, sharp and sweet, to keep the album driving forward. Variations of punk, metal, pop, and of course shoegaze, all appear here, with the only real constant being the quieted, buried vocals floating deep down in the mix. Christian underpinnings can be found scattered throughout the album, though it’s the various overall themes of the 11 tracks - the emptiness of materialistic living, the need for succor and love, and the constant internal battle with evil - that most readily reveal the band’s faith and not so much the lyrics themselves, which are either strange or unintelligible most of the time anyway.
Serena-Maneesh is a stunning album, though its repetition in many places and swirling mixture of styles may not appeal to some listeners. I have little doubt that fans of My Bloody Valentine will devour this, as will anyone who likes their pop/rock trippy and experimental as opposed to structured and familiar. A very fine release from a great new band.
Jonathan Avants 7/23/06
