August 31, 2005 | Posted by David B. at 10:44 AM

Crowds, rolling thunder proud

I'll kingsbury your manxWith the mini-discussion going on in the comments section of the Death Cab track about fall music, this song is an appropriate one to post now.
The new album by the Kingsbury Manx, The Fast Rise and Fall of the South, reminds me of autumn. Maybe it's because of the leafless trees on the cover, maybe it's because of the sparkling, generally subdued music, or maybe it's because of the contemplative lyrics. (The dog days of late August may seem like good times to contemplate, but I personally can't think straight when the dew point's too high. September is much better for contemplating.)

Actually, this track just sounds like falling leaves and apple cider.

The Kingsbury Manx - And What Fallout!

Or maybe it's just me. Either way, I love the way this song kind of tumbles out; it's not quite sure of its footing but makes it anyway. The whole disc, out Sept. 20, was produced by Wilco's Mikael Jorgenson. It's easy to see why anyone involved with Wilco would be interested in these guys, and it's also easy to see why the Shins are fans.

And yes, yes, before you leave your comment, they do sound a lot like the Shins on this track, and I can't say the record overall is any different. Well, what's wrong with that? The whole album is very good, and I'm impressed with how Yep Roc - whose roster now includes these guys, Nick Lowe, John Doe, Robbie Fulks, Bob Mould and Paul Weller - cranks out the quality.

You can pre-order The Fast Rise and Fall of the South from label Yep Roc.

Comments

I have an advance of this album, and it is great. Definitely brings to mind the Shins on many tracks, but they're not just trying to mimic that sweet Shins-y sound. My tastes are pretty varied and I liked it a lot, for what it may be worth.

Posted by: Sissnitz at August 31, 2005 1:54 PM

I can hear a mild echo of The Shins, but it's pretty subtle. And the style is different enough that my first thought was something like "Hrm...this is like the love-child of Simon & Garfunkel and Radiohead", or something like that.

I've been up since 4 am and I think this just made my day.

Posted by: CaliGuy at August 31, 2005 4:44 PM

their first album was great. the second one was a letdown and i gave up on them after that. this new track sounds encouraging though.

Posted by: steve at September 1, 2005 12:02 PM

That first album was great, but I really think that the second one, Let You Down, was much better. If you want to talk about autumnal music, that album really nails that sort of white-sky-cool-breeze feeling. Aztec Discipline was kind of all over the place, but those first two Manx albums were totally classic.

Posted by: Kevin at September 1, 2005 1:07 PM

Hey David, this sounds great. I'm on yep roc's mailing list and this one musta slipped by me, and your right yep roc has an excellent roster...you should be on there!!! I'm still waiting for your next album!

Posted by: Jay at September 2, 2005 1:59 AM
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