Track Listing

1. Pageant Square
2. Regular Hands
3. Piss Diary
4. Cross Your Eyes
5. Blue Eurasians
6. Hawaii In Ten Seconds
7. How Cruel
8. Fields
9. New Old Friend Blues
10. Whether Or Not It Matters
11. Fanfare
12. Silver Trees

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #51816 in Music
• Released on: 2000-09-04
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
You'll hear the precedent for The Kingsbury Manx in the dustiest corners of Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends, in the tender devotionals of the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds and on the sun-baked gospel-soul of Lambchop's Nixon. Idle comparisons maybe, but it's true that The Kingsbury Manx talk louder through their music--and in particular, such heavenly reference points--than through any carefully contrived image or soundbite. Best kept secrets of Chapel Hill, North Carolina--so much so that when they emerged with this debut album, local commentators refused to believe that it was their work--The Kingsbury Manx are four shy, retiring college graduates writing songs that invigorate the rock form in a way unseen since Built To Spill's Perfect From Now On. This is an album of exquisite moments--check the spine-tingling slide-guitar whirl of "Blue Eurasians", the gorgeous acapella glide of "Hawaii In Ten Seconds", and frontman Kenneth Stephenson's emotive choral pleas on "Piss Factory". While it's true that The Kingsbury Manx is no stone cold classic, this is merely the springtime of their existence. A glorious future beckons. --Louis Pattison

Customer Reviews

In their own words
"Perfect and glistening... nobody's listening... oooh oohh oooohh".
A great album of moods and atmospheric/folky digressions with a paradoxically polished and beautiful sound. Great production.

wonderful
This is a beautiful album, so simple but so effective. Some say boring and bland but the simplicity just adds to the amazingness of it. IT it certainly an album deserving of listening, not partying. Vocal harmonies are beautiful, and very uplifting in a simplistic, "world is beautiful way". Wondrous sounds make it the highlight of last year. Read a review in UNCUT, bought it and Piss Diary is the best track for me. Celestial.

Sweet
Kingsbury Manx seemed to appear from nowhere. In these days of huge hype surrounding any release (why does everything seem to be the new something or 2000's something?), this was a refreshing move, but one that could cause this great album to be overlooked.

Kingsbury Manx come from the same laid-back psychedelic scene as Mercury Rev and Grandaddy, though they seem to have been spending their time listening to the Byrds and practising their Beach Boys style harmonies. No bad thing, really. This album's full of wistful lyrics about "Walking out in the year's first snow", on the terribly named "Piss Diaries", or the 20's style close harmony singing on "Hawaii in Ten Seconds". The music is always delicate, beautifully played, and nothing is out of place. It's relaxing, mellow, and in short, just the kind of album you want to listen to on a cold, clear, winter's day, sat in front of the fire with your loved one. Much like Mercury Rev then. Doh!