Artist: Groove Manifest
Label: Dragon-Dog Music
Release: 2010
Rating: 3/5
The rapid development of computer technology has helped give rise to so-called “one man” bands, where the band has just a single member, who is a multi-instrumentalist. Frank Zappa himself warned about this, saying that at live shows the other instruments would be replaced by assorted sound-making gadgets, while the one and only band member would play whichever instrument he’s best at. He also slammed the idea hard, since in progressive music improvisation is a huge factor that shows itself at “live” gigs, and with a “one man” band that would of course be impossible. Still, more and more musicians are going down this road, Groove Manifest among them, as the band is called, fronted by a guy going by the name Aaron G.
Aaron G., as it says on the EP, takes care of everything: he plays guitar, bass guitar, keyboards and drums, and then gives the songs their final shape with vocals on top. He has dubbed himself a creator of sonic art, born under the sign of punk, raised on rock and evolved into a creator of unique experimental progressive rock. An extreme blend of the most unfathomable sonic harmonies, backed by a strong whiff of electronic modifications, results in an incredibly dark, punk-inspired electro-progressive rock that is truly different. Aaron’s vocals are electronically altered too and recorded over the music in a really interesting way, and the darkness of the music and vocals comes through in the lyrics as well. Every even-numbered track has lyrics, starting with the second one, “One Day”, which foretells a social apocalypse that is supposed to cut through the monotony and calm of the world. The next track with lyrics, the fourth, is “All the Way”, a story about a killer with a pretty clear purpose; the song has an incredibly monotonous style, which is reflected in the lyrics. “Welcome to the Kingdom”, the title track, is somewhat critical of both society and humanity, using clear lyrics to portray human nature and its senseless deeds at the same time, hinting at the pointlessness of this kind of life here on Earth. You could easily call the track electronic music, since it’s built on a repetitive “beat” strongly backed by lots of instruments. Willie Cole shows up as a guest and handles the programming of the track, meaning the electronic modification. The EP’s closing act, “Tonight”, is a somewhat more optimistic song, where you can tell Aaron still has a bit of hope for humanity. Even so, the subject himself has no meaning in life; but the fact that he’s searching for it, and refusing to give in to the “sheep” of humanity, is something positive.
Between the even-numbered songs, meaning the ones with lyrics, there are shorter interludes that sort of represent the musical world, the chaos Groove Manifest wants to show the listener. Such an abstract attempt is more than successful, the darkness of the sound is unmistakable, and the ominous atmosphere is built in an instant. Aaron has approached his musical vision in an interesting way, and the message is delivered in a really impressive manner.
Still, we can’t ignore the monotony that sticks to the EP right to the end. True, electronics are a major factor in Aaron’s work, but we could still do with more variety, with a more natural, organic sound. He overdid it with the modern-day “machinery”, although you could also take that as a take on today’s thoroughly mechanized world.
If nothing else, Groove Manifest stands out for its originality and clarity of message, but musically it unfortunately doesn’t convince. Since this is only a young “one man” band just taking its first steps on the path of a music career, the kind of “missteps” that show up on the record are understandable and even forgivable. Groove Manifest also offers a free download of both the EP and its debut “The Etiquette of Prejudice” on its website. The cover art, the work of Brad Green, deserves praise too, as it captures everything you hear on the EP. Really creative work.
Lineup
Aaron G. – guitar, bass guitar, vocals, keyboards, drums
Guest musician:
Willie Cole – programming (»Welcome to the Kingdom«)
Production
Groove Manifest
Tracklist
1. Bombasticon
2. One Day
3. Xerxes
4. All the Way
5. 0606
6. Welcome to the Kingdom
7. Griffin in Flight
8. Tonight
