me.It could be the energy or the catchy songs, but mostly it is the strong London Calling era Clash/ Brit rock influence pervading throughout the 11 tracks of the CD, especially the first half.
The band has a bit of a reggae feel and Mikey Manville’s voice is pure Clash all the way.
Throughout, especially on the first single ‘Turpentine,’ there are catchy guitar riffs and boundless energy.
Manville even sings a strong melody. In addition to the Clash, there are also elements of the Cure (except much louder) and even a touch of the Talking Heads.
And while the CD doesn’t quite capture the essence of their incendiary live show, it is a great representation of the band’s hook laden, upbeat modern rock.
They set the stage with the first track, ‘Goodluck Club and slow down only slightly midway through.
They pick up the tempo a little, but fade away on one of their more Cure inspired note, ‘Passport.’ Popular ’90s Canadian bands Limblifter and Age of Electric’s Ryan Dahle produced this CD , so those bands have an underlying influence which is apparent on this CD.
Overall, the Manvils’ self-titled debut is a really energetic and fun listen full of catchy hooks and melodies.
— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat editor
Cd: The ManvilsBand: The Manvils
Genre: rock
Record Company: Sandbag Records
