Serena-Maneesh

Description

The self-titled full-length debut album by the Norwegian alternative rock band Serena-Maneesh fronted by Emil Nikolaisen of Royal fame, was released on the Norwegian indie label HoneyMilk Records in August 2005. The album was recorded by Greg Norman at Electrical Audio in Chicago, Illinois; with band member Emil Nikolaisen producing. Additional recordings by Nikolaisen and Espen Høydalsvik at CSX/Taageheimen. Some songs co-arranged with Tommy Akerholdt and Sondre Tristan Midttun. Some co-arranged/produced with Daniel C. Smith of Danielson fame. All songs written by Emil Nikolaisen.

Getting their start via some help and hype generated by some of America’s current Christian indie favorites, Serena-Maneesh’s debut finally makes its way over the Atlantic and into the States. And it’s a welcome coming – firmly rooted in the dreamy, droning shoegaze of classic My Bloody Valentine yet transcending the genre with their own psychedelia/rock twist, Serena-Maneesh is both a throwback to sounds of the nineties and a successful continuation into a fresh and modern style of their own.

Nearly every song avoids the typical pop song build, choosing a varying mixture of heavy and soft, sharp and sweet, to keep the album driving forward. Variations of punk, metal, pop, and of course shoegaze, all appear here, with the only real constant being the quieted, buried vocals floating deep down in the mix. Christian underpinnings can be found scattered throughout the album, though it’s the various overall themes of the 11 tracks – the emptiness of materialistic living, the need for succor and love, and the constant internal battle with evil – that most readily reveal the band’s faith and not so much the lyrics themselves, which are either strange or unintelligible most of the time anyway.

Serena-Maneesh is a stunning album, though its repetition in many places and swirling mixture of styles may not appeal to some listeners. I have little doubt that fans of My Bloody Valentine will devour this, as will anyone who likes their pop/rock trippy and experimental as opposed to structured and familiar. A very fine release from a great new band. [Jonathan Avants, The Phantom Tollbooth, 7/23/06]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/serena-maneesh/136877334)

CD tracklist:

01. Drain Cosmetics
02. Selina’s Melodie Fountain
03. Un-Deux
04. Candlelighted
05. Beehiver II
06. Her Name Is Suicide
07. Sapphire Eyes
08. Don’t Come Down Here
09. Chorale Lick
10. Simplicity
11. Your Blood In Mine

Note: Simultaneously released on CD and 12-inch vinyl double LP by HoneyMilk Records and Hype City Recordings, respectively.