He seduces you with ritual and chant. His humor, sorrow, rage simmer between the surface of every note.

13 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Folk-Rock, ROCK: Adult Contemporary



Details:
He storms across the stage as if crazed by his musical incantations. Who is this sorcerer? Ladies and gentlemen, introducing Mikey Manville - a minimalist solo realization.

As a versatile singer/songwriter, Manville turns from soulful, folk-rock troubadour to a maddening front man in the psychedelic, blues-infused quartet, The Manvils. With every performance, Manville continues on his rockânâroll pilgrimage in the name of his heroes, from the pioneers H. Williams Sr., J.Cash and M. Haggard, to the moderns, S. Earle, E. Smith and Marah.

Vancouver-based and native Torontonian, Mikey Manville has spread his intense musical sermon across North America. Connecting three times in three years with Chicago Producer and fellow tunesmith John Akred, multi-instrumentalist Manville is set to release his much anticipated sophomore solo record, âBroken Arms â in the summer of 2007.


Mikey Manville
Broken Arms
Sandbag
You all know The Manvils, right? A tight lilâ rock machine - probably the highest-calibre radioready rock in Vancouver, actually. Frontman Mikey Manville is charting himself a serious star path, but this solo album, his first, surprisingly isnât riffy at all! Itâs gentle, man-with-guitar stuff. Sappy, pretty, whiny and weary. Broken hearts, cushy love darts. Beatlemania looms large; lead track âMy Old Daysâ is dragged along by gorgeous descending McCartney chord changes, immaculate back-up vox, and snappy strumming. Youâd swear thereâs a string orchestra too, but thatâs just John Akredâs luminous production. Horns, organs, keys, pedal steel courtesy of Bob Egan (Wilco/Blue Rodeo) slippinâ in and glisteninâ out as gentle as a Durex, ultra-thin, Manville wisely stroking his instrument like a woman, not his cock, purring not pumping, making Broken Arms is own private candlelit dinner. âHappinessâ is a beaut. Almost Radiohead, a distorting drone (organ bass set on âcelloâ?) throbbinâ away, the snare sounding like a shovel of dirt, circus organ spookinâ it up. Otherwise, 13 consecutive sad crooners makes for one long haul, but get in the mood and rewards are plenty.
- Dave Bertrand