Aug 08 2006
Mandarin: Fast>Future>Present
OTO Rating: 6/10
At this moment, One Times One becomes the first organization to declare an embargo on prefixes. No more psych-rock, no more nu-rock, no more post-folk-funk-punk, whatever.
|
Track listing:
01 When Heat Sleeps 02 Shadow Your Shadow 03 How Long? 04 Eye On The Time 05 >> 06 Pilot Light 07 A Loss Not To Despair 08 The Beginning Hides The End 09 Holiday 10 Dim Lit Vow 11 Smother The Spark 12 Virus Smile 13 The Gift Of Not Living |
It had to be done. Because the amount of prefix laden labels being hurled at poor Mandarin is overwhelming – there’s math-rock, and folk-rock, and post-everything. And those are just the simple ones; we’re not even talking linguistic equations, here.
But the irony is, Mandarin are actually quite simple. They’re okay.
That’s it – keep your metaphors, your hyperboles, your paeans to the rock gods of the past. Mandarin are an eerie, vaguely melodic sort of band that occasionally dabbles in pop hooks (“Shadow Your Shadow,” “Pilot Light”) and the Pixies (“Smother the Spark”), but they never quite hit the spot. Certain moments gleam out of the drudgery, but for the most part this album is honestly too empty, too concerned with prowess to make an emotional connection. Arbitrary noodlings are all well and good, but don’t expect people to listen to them.
Mandarin are, even at their zenith, decent. No prefixes necessary.
Related posts: