I guess this is supposed to be a concept album. Each of the track titles is suffixed with a declaration of either ‘shy’ or faux’. Apparently, the super-rockin’ cuts are ‘faux’ and the emo-er stuff is ‘shy’. The latter makes more obvious sense; but, this I not the most important discussion about this album.
Mango is from San Diego, but it is a gross understatement to say this album predominantly has a Pacific Northwest feel. Whether faux or shy, the album is knitted together with everything Big Muff distortion and way tweaked out mic effects, to acoustic guitar and twee, muttering vocals – not to mention some really unassuming, but nonetheless tripped out digital effects. It tastes of Mudhoney, Nirvana, Elliot Smith, Modest Mouse, Screaming Tree’s, The Postal Service… just to name a few…
Don’t think this is a derivative mess, though. Mango have hardly an unimpressive track on the record; for instance, on ’Orange’, where they go into a falsetto, a cappella partition that beats anything Yes has ever done; and the bluesy-twang cover of House Of Pain’s ‘Jump Around’… What more need be said?
Every song on this record has radio play potential – at least on college radio, if not the Clear Channel play lists too. From one listening it’s obvious, this one’s staying on rotation indefinitely.
