Tenebrae
Artist: Mike Mangione
Label: indie
URL: http://www.mikemangione.com
Times: 12 tracks / 62:25 minutes

One peek at the project title and song titles comprising Tenebrae, Mike Mangione's follow-up to his 2005 There and Back project, shows that this singer/songwriter has had plenty of exposure to church settings. "Tenebrae" is Latin for "shadows" and is typically used in Christian churches during Holy Week for the "service of shadows" Tenebrae service, in which lights are gradually dimmed to commemorate the darkness of the Crucifixion.

Whether or not it's Mangione's intent, I chose that parallel for his sophomore project, as these "shadows" seem to ironically mirror the ups and downs of human relationships, with plenty of this irony along the way. Yes, the listener may view Tenebrae as a concept album. Lyrically, let's see--the project opens with "Waiting for No One," and then a problem-riddled relationship ensues with "It's Me, Not You," "First Time: Please Forgive Me," and "You Don't Wanna Leave." There are frank, direct lyrics in all of these songs, which can tug at the listener's heart-strings, namely in the apologetic tones in the enigmatic relationships. The ironic theme finally comes to a head in the climax of the project, "A Requiem for the Trash: Damnatio Memoriae," in which the girl has left the guy but didn't take out the garbage--"Like a requiem for the trash / Remembrances linger casting long shadows / Just like your side of the bed still accosts to your warmth / Yet the dead can never rise again / And your side of the bed shall forever remain unmade." Well, the dead does rise again as the protagonist in this concept album concludes with a new relationship: "Mama, Be Not Afraid." That's how I've read Tenebrae, and if I'm wrong, I've made the singer/songwriter laugh, as I chuckled at some of the irony of this project.

For the listener who has never heard Mangione's work or only smatterings of There and Back (both are along the lines of folk music), Mike Mangione has taken the texture of Tenebrae up a step from his debut project. There are more upbeat moments here, and the deeply introspective lyrics are accompanied by Mike and brother Tom Mangione's guitars, which are expertly enveloped with violins, upright and electric bass, drums, keyboards and percussion layered to match the lyrics. The music never overrides what Mangione wants the listener to hear, and when the listener should reflect on the lyrics, the music changes to another pace or makeup.

While Tenebrae is very, very good, there's room for Mangione to achieve yet another level of excellence. It just seems that more of a solid denouement to accompany "A Requiem for the Trash" would have sealed the deal perfectly. Expect something like that in Mangione's next offering. He's on track here.

Mike Mangione and band continue to tour to support Tenebrae, which is definitely worth a very careful listen. Tenebrae is not an easy listen but an experience that neatly encapsulates some of the rough roads in human relationships.

Olin Jenkins

November 29, 2009