When you approach a band keeping ‘thee’ in their name, the likelihood always favours the group being a Thee Oh Sees knock-off. Cardiff’s Thee Manatees would be an exception to this rule. Describing themselves as ‘Tarantino-esque’ and ‘Lonestar Noir’, Thee Manatees’ conceptual ground feels out of place in their colder, greener homeland, more inclined to street gang stabbings and crack deals than the grand scope of your LA organised crime. But as one can vouch for the cocaine lines in the backrooms of Cardiff bars, it’s clear where this music crawls out of; a desire for something else, at its heart escapism, a reinterpretation of the artists’ experience.
Thee Manatees make a show of their heritage, harking from opposite corners of Britain, but within their EP – a short release that doesn’t quite lift the sheet, their musical aims remaining obscured in four tenuously related tracks – all three blend into a homogeneous US form, taking cues from the Eagles and Ennio Morricone with a little rockabilly, a little avant electric guitar thrown into the mix. The effect is weird: like Texas’ Glaswegian roots and postured twang, Thee Manatees pull together American rock and roots tropes into an animal far departed from the expected.
‘Jack Of Clubs’, with a bold ‘Stagger Lee’-esque narrative given gendered strength in Hannah Loy’s voice, sees an otherwise strong vocal pale next to tight, dark bass from Cai Strachan. Loy’s coy obscenity caps off the chorus with a nice surprise, with simple lyrics and Morricone squealing guitars overlaid – but the chorus, doubled with Andrew Vidgen and Strachan’s wheezing vocals, comes with a cringe that you suspect Thee Manatees don’t take too seriously.
‘Alabama Chrome’ follows in classic roots rock style with a warm male vocal, before ‘Cuckoo’ takes a bizarre turn into the nonsensical, harmonica and electric uke over clapped percussion telling of a heathen cuckoo. Finally ‘Fine White Fingers’ closes the release, a delicate, sparse and trembling piece with Loy’s airy voice, transforming into an instrumental displaying the best work of the EP, living up to their ‘Tarantino-esque’ – that is, Morricone-esque circa spaghetti westerns – inspiration.
If Thee Manatees can continue delivering in this direction, they’re an act to keep an eye on. Beyond that the release is hard to consume outside the genre’s fans – and they’re urged to follow the band – and, with such a brief and scattered tracklist, it’s difficult to get any feel of where the group are heading. If you’re a roots, blues or country fan, or seeking the soundtrack to your personal American crime noir, check Thee Manatees out, but for others, their nasal vocals and niche subject matter proves a difficult swallow.
EP1 is available on their bandcamp, and the band itself can be found on twitter, facebook, and their personal site.
[Rating:2.5]
