Manatees
The Forever Ending Jitter Quest of Slow Hand Chuckie: An Introduction to the Manatee
Motive Sounds (2006)
I slept on Manatees' promotional disc for a very long time and I'm extremely sorry I did so. Their untitled release, or the lengthy The Forever Ending Jitter Quest of Slow Hand Chuckie: An Introduction to the Manatee is an ethereal and simultaneously heavy release. Their press sheet sums up the band's sound quite well: "The band name was chosen … Read more
Mando Diao
Ode to Ochrasy
Mute (2007)
What if The Libertines were basically decent guys? What about the early Rolling Stones, or Guns N' Roses, or any of the bands who just want to play some rock and fucking roll? I mean like if they didn't ruin their girlfriend's lives and if they didn't smoke crack and if they maybe mowed the lawn for their moms once … Read more
Manes
How the World Came to an End
Candlelight (2007)
Linkin Park, by and large, are looked upon as a joke. With few exceptions, they are loved solely by young fans who really don't know any better and are unable to find any other kind of "heavy" music at their local Wal-Mart in Smalltown, U.S.A. What does Linkin Park have to do with Norway's Manes, you ask? Well, they kind … Read more
Maniac
Dead Dance Club
Dirt Cult (2018)
Across the board Maniac reminds me of several bands. The vocal timbre of lead vocalist Zache Davis recalls Mark Ryan (Marked Men) and so does the rhythm section, though it’s not nearly as hyper. Justin Maurer, who also picks up the mic at times, has a darker tinge to his songs. The tempo is fast, I guess you’d say in … Read more
Maniqui Lazer
I Learn Everything on TV
Soundsister (2008)
I don't know much about music along the US-Mexico border, and the name Maniqui Lazer and the cartoonish sketches on the cover only intrigue me so much. Mostly, it gives the impression of a weird band with a lot of keyboards. Lo and behold, I got that part right. I just missed the crazy energy held within the cardboard package. … Read more
Mannequin Pussy
Gypsy Pervert
Tiny Engines (2014)
It’s kind of remarkable how vaguely similar the debut album by Philadelphia’s Mannequin Pussy is to that of another of 2014’s breakout artists, Perfect Pussy. Both these similarly-named, female-fronted bands utilize rough sound production to create a listening experience that’s raw, ragged, and jarring, but while Perfect Pussy’s churning Say Yes to Love almost borders on being unlistenable (at least … Read more
Mannequin Pussy
I Got Heaven
Epitaph (2024)
One of the rare instances of a band getting more raucous with time (and success), Mannequin Pussy’s third studio album I Got Heaven sets the mood with heavy drums and cutting vocals. While the sound doesn’t swing in as hard, or as messy, as previous albums, the band hits their stride with lyrics equal parts scalding and snotty. Album opener … Read more
Mans' Gin
Rebellion Hymns
Profound Lore (2013)
Led by multi-instrumentalist Erik Wunder (also of Cobalt,) Man’s Gin are releasing the follow up to their debut album (Smiling Dogs,) entitled Rebellion Hymns. If you believe that the band is similar sounding to Cobalt, you are gravely mistaken. Accompanied by an arrange of great musicians such as Bruce Lamont (Yakuza,) Jarboe, John Lamacchia (Candiria) and Phil McSorley (Cobalt), Man’s … Read more
Maps of Norway
Die Off Songbird
Guilt Ridden Pop (2008)
It's refreshing to hear bands showing their influences without becoming a fiftieth-wave hybrid, a la The ePoxies. Maps of Norway obviously love 1980's new-wave. However, they don't set out to make a copy of that, they fuse the sound into their own artistic development, and Guilt Ridden Pop's release Die Off Songbird is the end result. The record starts off … Read more
Marduk
Rom 5:12
Blooddawn Productions (2007)
Black metal and obscene, blasphemous imagery are like peanut butter and jelly"¦they were essentially made to go together. Of course in a sea of peanut butter as huge as the black metal scene is, it's usually hard for one band to spread on enough jelly to really stand out amongst the crowd. In 1991 Sweden's Marduk took this into account … Read more
Mare
Mare
Hydra Head (2004)
Maybe I am blinded by my love for Hydrahead Records, but it seems to me that as of late the label has been churning out spectacular album after spectacular album at a rapid rate. Whether it's the latest release from regular mainstay Harkonen or the debut release from the young phenoms of Mare, Hydrahead definitely has a knack for finding … Read more
Mares Of Thrace
The Pilgrimage
Sonic Unyon (2012)
Mares Of Thrace are a band apart from the norm. Merely sound-wise they stick outside of the given genre parameters. Meanwhile, one look at their facebook page or the statement they make in a live setting will give any people wanting to pigeonhole them a whole new headache. Let's get this out of the way first, Mares are a two … Read more
Maria Taylor
11:11
Saddle Creek (2005)
A spotlight can show a lot about a person. Over the course of her career Maria Taylor has been, arguably, the driving force behind both the bands Azure Ray and Now It's Overhead, as well as lending her talents to various other artists including Crooked Fingers and Moby. Despite gaining moderate recognition for her work with groups, Taylor's delicate style … Read more
Maria Taylor
Lynn Teeter Flower
Saddle Creek (2007)
One of the first reviews I ever did for this website was for Maria Taylor's debut solo album, 11:11. It's been two years since our respective efforts and I think it's safe to say that we've both matured. On Lynn Teeter Flower, a record named for a family friend, Taylor succeeds in capturing her own sound, rather than borrowing from … Read more
Marillion
F.E.A.R.
Intact (2016)
For a Marillion fan, a new album isn’t just a release – it’s an event. And as far as events go, on an ascending scale from a co-workers 30 day alcohol-free chip celebration, to a close cousin’s Harry Potter themed wedding, to the birth of your new baby, FEAR is more of a birth. A birth of ideas in a … Read more
Marillion
Happiness is the Road Volume 1: The Essence
Racket (2008)
In their twenty-six-year or so history, Marillion have never released a shitty album. Think of other bands that have been around; can they make the same claim? I think not. Sure, there's been albums that are less memorable, but actually bad? Not a one. Writer's block has never been an issue with a couple of exceptions, the releases are usually … Read more
Marillion
Happiness is the Road Volume 2: The Hard Shoulder
Racket (2008)
...and with volume two in the "Happiness is the Road" series, Marillion has the ship back on course. Kicking open the door with "Thunder Fly," The Hard Shoulder will have you feeling bad that you ever doubted the band in the first place. Way back in the early days Marillion struggled to separate themselves from comparisons to Gabriel-era Genesis, which … Read more
Marillion
Somewhere Else
Intact (2007)
Throughout their over twenty-five year history, Marillion and their music have maintained what many thought impossible: prog without pretension. This has been a key component to their rabidly loyal fan base. It would appear that nobody jumped ship after the band's loss of their original frontman, Fish, way back in 1988. What would have signaled the death of many a … Read more
