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Release date: October 2001
1. I'm A Monkey
2. Blame Game
3. Elvis Has Left The Building
4. I'll Take You To Hawaii
5. I Hate Rats
6. 80's Soldier
7. Kids Are At The Mall
8. Miss Evil
9. Now Or Never
10. Goonies 'R' Good Enough
11. Rumble In Chinatown
12. Yeah (Late Nite Song)
More info about The Manges:
Homepage
Reviews:
Review taken from Nothing
To Do:
The Manges have songs like “I’m a Monkey,” “I
Hate Rats,” and “Kids are at the Mall.” This was recorded
in New York and has guest appearances by Joe King and Kitty Kowalski.
Most of the songs are really catchy and fun, but there are a couple that
I have to skip (mainly “80’s Soldier”). This is Ramones-inspired
pop-punk, but it’s not what I’m used to hearing. Maybe it’s
because they’re from Italy, but the Manges have their own sound…and
it’s good!
Review taken from Vinyl-a-Go-Go:
So we finally meet, me and The Manges do. I’ve heard so much gushing
praise spread so very thick in the name of The Manges, and most of it
based solely on the strength of one single. There’s also the fact
that Ben Weasel liked them so much he covered one of their songs. Many
deemed them Italy’s newest pop-punk sensation, superstars even.
I believe I put some effort into getting that single, and was certain
I’d be rocking out in glee once I did. Unfortunately my ears have
yet to hear it. Instead I’m introduced to the boys via this, their
first full length album.
Hype always kills bands for me. I must say I was expecting to be infected
with a sugary pop-punk disease so ravenous that I would be quarantined
in my room for days doing nothing but religiously hitting play on my stereo
until my aural receptors had finally had their fill of the glorious sounds
of The Manges. My eyes would bleed and my head would ache if I didn’t
hear that song just one more time, that chord change just six more times,
that vocal harmony just five more times…that chorus just three more
times. I was expecting something so earcoatingly sugary, poppy, hooky
and intoxicating that it would send me back to the glory days of the mid-nineties
and have me shimmying my frame all about my bedroom. That didn’t
happen. Not many bands can do all those things, and of course The Manges
didn’t live up to such extremely high expectations. Don’t
worry, I dig The Manges, but superstars they are not.
My first impression upon hearing the first track, "I’m a Monkey"
was utter disgust. It’s your basic, bash your head in with three
chords, while vapidly mouthing words about being a "fucked up little
monkey on the road"-type rocked-out-pop-punk tune. I’m not
sure what the fascination is with monkeys, gorillas, jungle men, cave
men, and any other form of subhuman species from the wilds of the world.
I don’t get it. I HATE songs about monkeys. I didn’t get that
Groovie Ghoulies song, I absofreakinglutely hated the L.E.S. Stitches
song about being a jungle man (although I just plain hated the L.E.S Stitches
for lots of other reasons, and that song is so much worse than either
The Manges or The Groovie Ghoulies subhuman songs, sooooo much worse)
and I believe The Lillington’s song about being a caveman was my
least favorite track on their second album. According to the Vinyl-A-Go
Go Rule and Regulations of Rock and Roll, writing songs about monkeys
is a big no no. With that said, after a few spins I sort of like "I’m
a Monkey." It actually sounds a lot like the second Lillington’s
album, sort of horrorfied lead guitars, ringing feedback, pop-punk-is-gonna-kill-your-brain-cells
chords, etc. It’s a dumb song, it’s got no substance, it’s
about being a monkey and eating bananas while going back to Africa. In
other words it’s pure and simple pop-punk, and it’s catchy,
so it’s good.
Better news. The rest of the album doesn’t sound like the second
Lillingtons album. It’s actually a mish-mash of pop-punk styles.
Think lots of fun, tingly, typical pop-punk leads ala The Lillington’s
first AND second album (I swear that’s the last Lillingtons reference).
There’s also those oh so killer Italian accented vocals; as well
as non-stop, head knocking, buzzsaw power-chords; bashing, crashing, rock
and roll beating drums; and a bass as well. There’s even a few of
those hand claps I dig to the utmost on the third track, "I’ll
Take You To Hawaii." Which is a catchy tune. The Manges shine, when
they stick to the catchy stuff and don’t bother about bashing your
noodle in with their Ramones rock. Aha! I fooled you, you thought I’d
make it to the very last word without once mentioning those guys. You
were wrong. I shan’t mention them again, it guess it’s sort
of a given with Italian pop-punk bands anyway.
While most of the tunes on the album are standard catchy pop-punk numbers
(not overly infectious mind you) there’s a few divergent tracks.
The most delightful being "I Hate Rats," which like "I’m
a Monkey," befuddled me at first. No, I don’t have a thing
against songs about rodents too. It’s just that it’s pretty
much another one of those bash you into the ground type pop-punk tunes,
with less pop than punk. It’s very reminiscent of Grow Up era Queers
or perhaps the less poppy numbers on Love Songs For the Retarded. This
might have something to do with the fact that Joe Queer himself provides
the lead vocals. This is tough Joe Queer. Which is what I suppose he was
to be on the last couple Queer’s albums, although I admit I’m
not an avid aging pop-punk star gazer. I especially despise those rough,
rowdy, tough as nails, rotten as puke, Queer’s songs, but I like
this tune. It’s about Nazis, which rules. It’s pretty hilarious
to listen to songs about hating Nazis, I realize they’re still around
in some shape or another and they shouldn’t be tolerated, but I
still get a giggle out of listening to songs that call them rats and chant
about how much they are hated.
I already mentioned that The Manges don’t infect me with the pop-punk
collywobbles as much as I had hoped. Perhaps I’m too addicted to
hooks. The majority of the songs are sort of flat, not a lot of drastic
changes to grip you by the earlobes and shake you up. "Kids at the
Mall" is one of a few exceptions. It’s got a great chorus that
you’ll be chanting whilst bopping your head up and down like a demented
Pez dispenser that’s plum full of sugary goodness. Plus it’s
about the plight facing today’s rock and roll underground: how to
drag the kids from the mall where they’re having fun and into the
seedy rock and roll club where they’ll have fun AND shake their
hips like crazy. Another stand out track, "Miss Evil" comes
up right after "Kids at the Mall." On "Miss Evil"
the boys slow things down a bit, and come up with quite an infectious
melody for the chorus that will ring in your head for minutes if not hours.
It eventually swells up until it forms a ball in your stomach that rises
up only to explode in between your ears and your frontal lobe: which makes
you smile. Plus, it’s about a girl, and an evil one at that.
Another point of interest is the cover of "Goonies ‘R’
Good Enough." I’m apparently retarded as I don’t really
know the song (don’t kill me, I love The Goonies and am assuming
it’s a song from the movie, and it’s by Cyndi Lauper, but
I can’t recall it). The interest hear lies in Kitty Kowalski’s
lead vocals, she being the front woman of the U.S. band The Kowalskis.
The album was produced by Tony Kowalski as well. Then there’s some
more of that-face the crowd, spread your legs, beat em over the head while
you swing your Mosrite from your dick to your hip and back again, three
chord nuclear-sonic attack. This isn’t The Retarded or your typical
Ramonescore (ok, so I HAD to mention them there didn’t I? Sorry,
last time, I swear). The Manges inject a little more 90’s pop-punk
into the attack, which means a little more pop and not so much beat your
ass rock, but it’s definitely in there. The last track, "Yeah
(Late Nite Song)" stands out as well. It’s got Mr. Queer on
vocals again, this time backing. It’s also a lot sunnier than the
rest of the tracks on the album. Sounding somewhat like a Punk Rock Confidential
out take, complete with Joe going "ba ba ba ba ba ba…"
in the background. It’s real good in other words. Sappy, love songs
are what pop-punk’s all about. They even repeat the last line of
the chorus and layer it in rounds, which is pretty standard, but gets
the blood rushing to my aural receptors every time.
Quite a nice way to end an album that started out with a song about a
monkey.
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