Target

A selection of Reviews

"...the music of Mana ERG is hard to describe and hard to file; it covers many grounds and finds its strength in rare qualities such as dynamism and eclecticism. "The Blind Watchmaker"'s multifaceted production extends from electronic to dark, in a journey that encompasses so many genres and influences that it's hard to even keep track of your own mood and state of mind as you are violently pulled through its smooth soundscapes. The overall sort of "noir" approach brings that nice ill and sinister halo to the table, and you'll definitely recognize influences of early NIN (in particular think of Reznor doing his nasty and dirty slow pieces with piano or guitar loops, much rather than him screaming away over walls of distortion) when the atmospheres get cloudy and slow or when Bruno's collaborators Joe Erber (piano) and Tiberio (guitar) add their touch to the ill-lighten suites...
The addition of d'n'b breaks and other sophisticated rhythmical figures might remind you of Apell, some older Eno productions and definitely some late Clock DVA. Young Gods-type sonorities are ready to take off on the wings of buttered IDM loops that wouldn't look out of place in some Boards of Canada/Autechre or other Warp artist's album.
The album was mastered by Attrition's mastermind Martin Bowes, and this is no coincidence since Mana ERG definitely looks up to the sound of Attrition or of similar bands such as Die Form. Bastard, Legendary Pink Dots, Visions of Excess are some of the other bands that populated my mind while going through these tracks... Ultimately the electronic texturing of the record really shows great attitude and consciousness and builds intense statements and ballsy presence on minimalist structures that convey great sense of musicianship. It's such a diverse recording you'll have to listen to it many many times to even get a grasp of its complexity, which is great considering how basic the instrumental approach is. I have been listening to this for a few days now and if I didn't have to move on to the next batch in the pile, I'd probably keep going to appreciate all of the shadows and shades of its wide palette and array of sonics. Great record." - Marc Urselli-Schaerer (Chain DLK)-

"...Bruno has a great voice, frequently offset by Deborah Roberts having a beautiful voice...The rhythms are robust and the textures tough. It has sinister lyrics, politely conveyed, and when it's musically pretty it's usually being totally deceptive and setting you up for a nasty shock..." - Mick Mercer (Starvox)

"It's difficult to pigeonhole their sound. Firstly there's an urge to communicate within their songs - indeed it sometimes sounds like an accompanied spoken work album much in the way CLOCK DVA or ATTRITION sometimes delved almost into Film Noir narrative. Add to this some rounded chants and poker-hot vocal motifs, all fitting contentedly into the musical core. And as for the music, it seems to span many genres without taking more than a hint from any one. Mostly I guess, I'd say they were aiming for something akin to film soundtrack, assimilating various elements of Rock and perhaps the dramatically darker moments of Goth. ...and yet it is none too much like any of these comparisons. What they have here is a rich and somewhat unique sound which delves into dark corners with bright, warming illumination." Metamorphic Journeyman(U.K.)