Kingsbury Manx, LetYou Down (Overcoat) 9+
Following the tradition of Velvet Underground acolytes The Feelies, The Dream Syndicate, Galaxie 500, Luna, and to some extent Yo La Tengo and Eleventh Dream Day, Kingsbury Manx successfully reinvent the feel of the third self-titled Velvet Underground album without being derivative. Of course, soft-spoken Chapel Hill boys are too smart to rely on one influence. On last year's debut, one could hear folk harmonies, The Byrds and Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd. The main difference between that and Let You Down is they have become less showy with billowing psychedelic textures, eased up on the swelling organs and focused on the pastoral songs that are more Fairport Convention than Pink Floyd. The song structures are tighter with less repetition, more changes and hooks packed into concise time frames. The arrangements are pared down and spacious. The details of the sounds are still all important. The album was recorded by Brian Paulson (Slint) to sound like an intimate live performance in a comfortable pub with wooden floors and worn but comfortable chairs, where you can vividly hear the textures of the guitar strings and the brushes scraping on the drum heads. The gentle acoustic beauty of this album make it a perfect companion piece to the recent works by Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and The American Analog Set. Chances are Kingsbury Manx's best music is still to come. Like many indie rock bands, the vocals are unremarkable and hide behind the music without leaving strong memories of the tunes. Every sound is perfectly tasteful, and flawlessly in place, suggesting, in a sense, it's a low-risk affair. To hear this very special band take a leap into the unknown could be either a harrowing freefall or a thrilling flight through the clouds. Either way, an experience not to be missed.
