Serena Maneesh - S-M 2: Abyss In B Minor

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4...according to our Phil on Thu 18 Mar, 2010.

Absolutely everyone is being signed to 4AD these days. What was an amazing label is now being used as a way to sell records to die hard 4AD collectors who won't let go. Harsh perhaps but true. I guess folks will get wary and that will be the end of 4AD. They do get it right sometimes though (Deerhunter, Ariel Pink and I did like The Tuneyards). Stornaway though? Anyhoo Serena Maneesh are Norway's answer to My Bloody Valentine or Medicine or that sort of late 80's early 90's wonky guitarry indie sound that plagued the airwaves back then. It's never gone out of fashion though and Serena have adopted that sound like it's their own and added their own thing to it all. Occasionally it's all so My Bloody Valentine I get so confused I forget who I'm listening to. The elements of their music I like the most is the more disjointed raucous rock an it's a shame there's not more than that. I'd rather hear more of that clever disjointed guitars and drums work than the MBV copying... Listen to Melody For Jaana... it's just fallen of Loveless.... Still it's not a bad album and while comparisons are inevitable and they obviously wear their influences on their sleeves there's enough here of interest to warrant checking it out.

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‘S-M 2: Abyss In B Minor’ is the second album from Sereena-Maneesh,
following the release of their self-titled, much-prasied album in 2006.

Sereena-Maneesh’s eponymously titled debut
album established the Norwegian band as an act that
could merge the lilting, ethereal melodies with
crushingly loud, shimmering distortion. This new
album is also their first release for 4AD, who they
recently signed to.

The band started recording for the new album in
2008 when they went back underground to record in
a cave on the outskirts of Oslo. Once recorded, they
then worked on the album further with Nick Terry
(who has worked with Klaxons and Primal
Scream), and Can associate René Tinner, who set
about mixing the results, spending an incredible eight
days on each song. It was even mastered at Air
Studios by Ray Staff, who did the same for, among
many others, Led Zeppelin’s ‘Physical Graffiti’,
but this is no distended double album, the end result
is a concise eight tracks spread over just 38 minutes
and 45 seconds.

Tracklisting:

Ayisha Abyss * I Just Want To See Your Face * Reprobate! *
Melody For Jaana * Blow Yr Brains In The Mourning Rain *
Honeyjinx * D.I.W.S.W.T.T.D. *
Magdalena (Symphony #8)