ARTIST: Minmae
TITLE: 835
LABEL: Greyday Records
GENRE: Indie
BITRATE: 199kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 1h 10m total
RELEASE DATE: 2007-03-13
RIP DATE: 2007-02-21
Track List
----------
1. Pay More 8:23
2. Your Band Controls The Weather 4:53
3. Capitals And Caliphs 4:29
4. Let My Friends In 4:38
5. Goodbye 3:33
6. Next Round's On Me 3:19
7. He's Not My Man (He's Not My 2:56
Jackal)
8. Holy Grails, Showstoppers 3:21
9. Recommend Me Someone 4:46
10. Classification Blues 3:49
11. Policy Blues 4:03
12. The Sun And Moon Show 5:31
13. The Sun Favors You 5:13
14. Ride The Lightning 11:06
Release Notes:
What is Minmae, what is not Minmae, what Minmae could be?
At the expense of using a tautology, it just is what it is. Certain French
anthropologists would call it sui-generis, others would say we're using that
term too generously. In any event, ours are a series of events; events that find
us playing guitar, bass and drums rock music, sometimes sensitively, sometimes
with a boogie, other times with a strut.
We're also fine with the term "indie-rock." We're all young, rugged individuals
who like to rock.
ôI really wish that for just once, just once in his life, Sean Brooks wouldn't
make an awesome record. Most bands fall into the rut of either producing failed
experiments or tired rehashes of past glories, but Minmae just seem completely
incapable of either of these sins. From their Soul/Drone roots (referencing the
album and their early sound) to the present day, Minmae have evolved two
distinct musical persona. There was first the fractured and beautiful dissonance
of works such as My Quiet Life and, after much evolution there reared the head
of the sinister reflectionist and perfectionist work of I'd Be Scared, Were You
Still Burning. While there were always both entities present in varying degrees
on all of Minmae's works, never have they done battle on such equal ground as on
835. Brooks' six-string eloquence now seems possessed; the beauty and evil that
was once calculating and quiet is now infected by chaos. On every track there is
a danger of destruction that is counteracted by human control and protocol. It
seems at times as if each track is a portrait of a societal normality that is
warped and dying. For lack of a better analogy, 835 is like listening to Twin
Peaks. I rarely trot out the words "genius" or "beautiful", but 835 is entirely
takes both those terms and takes them on a trip through purgatory. Structurally,
835 is yet another strong showcase for Brooks' dark sense of what a
pop-sensibility is, but the importance of this record is in it's theme and mood.
The songwriting is strong, yes, to the point that each individual track could
feasibly be released as a single and frankly, it would probably have been better
that way. As it stands now, 835 will either turn you into a genius or a lunatic
- probably both to some extent. Where Minmae can go from here is impossible to
tell, but if the past few albums are any indication, the only constant will be
excellence.ö û Andrew Salyer, Amp Camp
ôMinmae concocts bold, capable indie rock thatÆs as long on guitar power as it
is on inventive arrangements.ö û All Music Guide ô[IÆd Be Scared, Were You Still
Burning is] 40 minutes of the best, tightest pop music Minmae's ever made. But
from what I've heard, Sean's on a creativity bender right now. (As if he hasn't
been on a creativity bender for the last 10 years.) I wouldn't be surprised if
his next record kills everything he's ever done just like this one did.ö û Adam
Gnade, Kitty Magik