The Manvils craft a classic album

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      It’s a pretty sweet package. Pressed on 180-gram vinyl (that’s the good stuff) and with a full-colour gatefold sleeve, the 33-rpm version of the new, self-titled album by the Manvils is a beautiful thing to behold. When he’s asked about the LP, which has been produced in a limited edition of 500, the Vancouver band’s frontman, Mikey Manville, admits that he’s never been a record collector. Born in 1980, Manville grew up in the era of cassettes and CDs, but says he understands the mystique of the older format.

      “Right from the beginning we had talked about doing vinyl,” he says, sipping an iced chai latte at a Main Street coffee shop. “There’s a romanticism with it, you know. I’m an audio freak—I love great gear and stuff—but my first record was the Manvils’ record. And that was kind of cool. When that came in the mail I had just bought a record player for that occasion.”

      When Manville’s virgin needle met the groove of the long-player’s opening cut, “Good Luck Club”, the singer-guitarist knew he had made the right decision. “The first time I got the test pressing from Europe and I laid it down, I knew right then and there why it was important to have that limited-edition vinyl,” he says. “It’s because it just sounds better. Anyone who has a great system and is a vinyl collector or just spins vinyl for fun, they know why they’re doing it, and it’s because there’s nothing that beats that kind of tone.”

      And tone, Manville stresses, is a crucial consideration. When he and his fellow Manvils—bassist Greg Buhr, drummer Jay Koenderman, and guitarist Mark Parry—entered Vancouver’s own Factory Studios with producer Ryan Dahle, the goal was to make as perfect a listening experience as possible. Manville has no qualms about admitting that he aimed to create a classic album that would hold up 10, 15, or 20 years from now.

      “One of my main stipulations was that every second of the record has to matter,” he explains. “Every part of the record, every piece of the record has to almost mathematically make sense, so that when a song climaxes, the release makes sense. There’s a purpose to every part of the record; there’s no useless jam-outs or space-outs that would extend the song over a four- or five-minute period.”

      Indeed, there is nary a wasted note on The Manvils. The arrangements are concise, the musicianship tight and impassioned. “Substation”, for instance, crackles with edgy yet melodic guitar lines and forceful drumming. Despite its spaghetti-western title, “For a Few Dollars More” is a flat-out rocker with a punkish fire behind its choruses and some searing six-string leads. “Riverside” brings things down to a ballad tempo, but is played with no less conviction.

      As the band’s lyricist, Manville treads into some dark territory. Songs such as “Madame Guillotine” and “True Believers” find him exploring themes of tyranny and war, but you won’t catch him belting out slogans or offering easy-to-swallow platitudes. “One thing I’ve never been as a songwriter is a preacher of what people should think,” Manville says. “There’s a lot of bands that do that. And then there’s a lot of bands that avoid the whole issue and just write pop music. I just wanted to record a mature record that does make you think. But it definitely leaves it up to the listener. It’s maybe a little more esoteric than your typical record, but I think there’s probably more substance to it than a lot of rock records.”

      That substance, alloyed with the group’s timeless rock ’n’ roll sound, has won the Manvils a growing fan base. Among the band’s followers is Hollywood actor John Savage, best known for dramatic turns in gritty late ’70s fare such as The Deer Hunter and The Onion Field. Savage is enamoured enough of the Manvils that he agreed to appear in a video the band is making for its song “Turpentine”. Manville doesn’t want to offer too many spoilers, but he will reveal that the video involves a little taxidermy and a lot of blood.

      The Manvils are also booking a tour, and not a small one, which will take them across Canada and through Europe. “Ideally, the band would love to be gone for two-thirds of the year,” Manville says. “We really want to try to put the pedal to the metal and be on tour as much as possible, if and when we get the opportunity.”

      So if you want one of those 500 vinyl beauties, you’d be well-advised to act now, before everyone else in the country is scrambling to get their hands on them. Head down to the Manvils’ “Turpentine” video wrap party on Saturday and score yourself a copy. In 20 years, you’ll still be glad you did.

      The Manvils play Funky Winkerbeans on Saturday (August 29).

      Comments

      14 Comments

      emperorhasnoclothes

      Aug 28, 2009 at 2:35am

      Gawd!! What a bunch of rubbish. In twenty years no one is going to remember the Manvils or this record. You seriously expect us to buy this nonsense? No one is going to give a shit about this record in 20 months except The Manvils, their mothers, and their girlfriends.

      A few oversized, glossy posters around town don't make for a great band boys or great music. There are a few singer-songwriters in this city who might be remembered in 20 years. Mikey Manvil isn't definitely not one of them.

      Whatthebleep

      Aug 28, 2009 at 3:00am

      Mikey Manvil isn't definitely not one of them? Huh? Isn't that a double negative? So aren't you saying that he might, indeed, actually be one of them? It's clear you didn't mean to imply that, but typos can be amusing. Your right though. What a load of shite!!

      you do the same thing every time

      Aug 28, 2009 at 10:42am

      greasy hair? check.

      fixed gear bike? check.

      lo fi losers? check.

      how about irony? mustache? fake leather jacket? check, check and double check.

      oh, and make sure you have a pair of chuck taylors. they have to be reasonable dirty. it will add to your indie cred.

      congratulations, you have passed the straight's test and are now guaranteed coverage in this piss poor excuse of a music section.

      John Lucas

      Aug 28, 2009 at 11:08am

      you do the same thing every time: Thanks for your insightful comments. However, if you bothered to read the piece (or, god forbid) actually listen to the music, you'd see that being "lo fi losers" isn't the point. Whether you like the Manvils or not, the fact is that they put a lot of time and effort into making their record anything but lo-fi, and that the very (very) earnest Mikey Manville has zero interest in irony. And pointing those things out was pretty much the entire point of the article. So... nice work not getting it.

      emperorhasnoclothes

      Aug 28, 2009 at 11:43am

      I got the point John and I would never slight an artist for being earnest (to a point) over fashionably ironic. The kind of artists that I value are those who take risks and those kind of artists always walk a tight rope between vulnerability and sentimentality. One misstep and you're awash in a sea of goo. I think the proper use of irony is to lend some balance to that process.

      So, I don't fault Mikey for that nor do I fault him and the Manvils for putting a lot of time and effort into making their record- I would hope for nothing less as a listener. However, you make some enormous claims on their behalf and I think you've way overshot the mark. They're okay, but great? Classic? Hardly.

      Stop talking!

      Aug 28, 2009 at 12:54pm

      emperorhasnoclothes needs a day job.

      you do the same thing every time

      Aug 28, 2009 at 1:12pm

      oh john,

      i wasn't directing my comments at your elegant prose or these dorks in particular.

      the truth is, i could post that comment next to any music "story" in the straight and those benchmarks would still apply. i just happened to pick yours.

      i just got a new plaid shirt and my glasses have black rims, so....see you on main street?

      John Lucas

      Aug 28, 2009 at 1:17pm

      Ha. Well, you're wrong on at least one count: our esteemed music editor, Mike Usinger couldn't give a flying fuck what sort of bicycle anyone rides. When he sees a bike on the road, he guns his motor, especially if its one of those Critical Mass people.

      Mike Usinger

      Aug 28, 2009 at 2:13pm

      Or, as I like to refer to them, Critical Massholes.

      Keep Talking

      Aug 28, 2009 at 4:36pm

      3 weeks ago, my water broke while trapped in a stalled elevator in downtown Vancouver. Mikey Manvil fixed the elevator and then delivered my child in front of crowd of a dozen or so onlookers. I bet you didn't know that