Mansun: Full of promise, affected by 'sophomore slump'
Jan 20 '03
Pros Some decent vocals and melodies...
Cons Lackluster lyrics and a bad homage to Billy Corgan (x2)
The Bottom Line Six could have been a lot worse, but at best this is a slightly above average album. Look elsewhere (aka Attack of the Grey Lantern) for great Mansun work.
Full Review
Mansun has always been something of an anomaly in British music. Their sound while at times fitting neatly into the expected Brit-pop mold often is instead adventurous, modern progressive rock.
Formed some time during 1995, Mansun could never be likened to simple pop. Their sound especially on debut release Attack of the Grey Lantern was akin to the brilliant British act Suede (along the lines of my favorite Dog Man Star most specifically). Mansun made a major impact with that aforementioned debut. Rather than an album full of singles, the disc is instead a sweeping theatrical piece made up of neatly arranged melodies and seemingly spontaneous noise. Attack of the Grey Lantern was nothing short of brilliant. And while Mansun should have been absolutely pleased at their effort, it was going to be an impossible task to equal the power of that first album.
But Mansun tried, and what was released in 1999 was entitled Six. Once again the album is on the whole a triumph, but in a completely different way than the sweeping, epic, grand first release. While Mansun was still an obvious band of talented blokes, they produced something more mainstream and distinctively more Brit pop than fans would have hoped. Six is by no means a bad album, just a different one and less perfect than the incomparable first.
The same four musicians have called Mansun their own since the band’s inception. Led by guitarist, lyricist and vocalist Paul Draper and also featuring Dominic Chad (lead guitar), Stove King (bass) and Andie Rathbone (drums) the band has to date released just three increasingly dire albums beginning with the aforementioned 1996 Attack of the Grey Lantern and wrapping up (for now) with 2000’s Little Kix. Wedged between the two polar opposites is the transitional 1998/1999 album Six. While not the best of the band’s discography, Six is a moderately worthwhile purchase for veteran fans of Brit pop.
Six, while distinctively Brit pop, attempts (in vain) to continue as prog rock. Though that goal is nowhere near achieved, Mansun is at least able to assemble musically cohesive and usually entertaining fare. But there are some issues, mostly concerning the lyrics and overall wishy-washy concept of the album. Each of the eleven tracks when looked at individually is decent but in the framework of Six none seems to quite fit together. Rather than an album on the whole, this is a disc of possible singles. Is that a bad thing? Yes and no. Any other band would be pleased with the effort, but fans and critics of Mansun wanted something more than Six. This really tainted the band’s overall image and the image of the album.
As already mentioned, Six contains eleven songs. And while the vision of the album is lacking, it is an easy one to pop into your stereo and tune out of or drive down the road to. It begins reasonably well with Six, a shimmering and upbeat rock/pop outing. The melody is memorable, yet the most memorable part of the song is Draper’s vocal styling. And in all honesty, the songs are so nicely done that the lyrics make little difference…listeners are advised to just close their eyes and think about nothing aside from how nice the track sounds.
Continuing on, Negative is also a good song relying both on ideas of Brit pop and blues for inspiration. Again, the melody is intriguing as are the vocals despite the fact that both first songs are similar with the second reminiscent of Achtung Baby-era U2. On the other hand, Legacy is entirely different and instead of sounding like U2, Mansun obviously has been listening to a great amount of Smashing Pumpkins…especially Draper who sounds spookily like Billy Corgan—minus the emotional rock edge.
In contrast to the earlier songs, Anti Everything is of more musical interest than focal. Instead of being sidetracked by superstar-channeling vocals, listeners will instead find themselves enchanted by the thickly layered melody. But again, there’s just something missing…that certain spark that makes a good song truly great.
Fall Out is a bad song. Not only in the context of this album, but also just in general. It seems to completely lack purpose, and for that matter a tempo. As compared to the rest of the songs on this album it is a failure, and as compared to the back catalogue of Mansun the boring and probably self-important melody is an embarrassment and considering the fact that Draper’s lyrics are useless nothing about Fall Out is worth hearing.
Serotonin sounds like a reject from a Depeche Mode cover band…so skip that one. A little bit more interesting, Cancer is a spacey song once again similar in many ways vocally and musically to Corgan. And while this association is probably for the band’s best, it also brings up an important point. Mansun has a great deal of talent as does wordsmith Draper. Since that is a fact, what are they doing playing copycat to another band?
By this point in time, most listeners will have grown weary of the album. At times, Mansun sounds good. Heck, usually they sound great. But songs need more than just a catchy melody and the occasionally interesting vocals. These however do not present anything particularly innovative and in turn are completely forgettable. As the disc draws to a close, songs like Television and Being A Girl are pleasant surprises. Still, the album on the whole is unmemorable.
Is Six worth full-price? Probably not. Consider purchasing Attack of The Grey Lantern well before this sophomore release. And if you happen upon a copy of the disc in the bargain bin, pick it up. If you enjoy the debut, consider Six with reservation.
Rating: 3/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Six | 02. Negative | 03. Legacy | 04. Anti Everything | 05. Fall Out | 06. Serotonin | 07. Cancer | 08. Television | 09. Special/Blow It | 10. Shotgun | 11. Being A Girl
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