THEE MANIPULATORS Ease Up On the Breakdowns CD

THEE MANIPULATORS
Ease Up On the Breakdowns CD
Neptoon Records Neptoon 011 2009
www.myspace.com/theemanipulators www.neptoon.com
Vancouver’s Thee Manipulators release their first ever release — a terrific full length! Fronted by frantic singer/guitarist Mike Roche, this beloved local band contains veterans of the local scene Alex Angel (New Town Animals) and bassist Mike Park (The Gung Ho’s) and has endured some lineup changes. Organ player Karie was terrific and her knee high go-go boots were hard to fill but Henry Beckwith owns hard! He plays great! At times I dare to say the organ sounds as perfect as a Tornadoes song! And drums are now helmed admirably by Neptoon Record’s own Ben Frith. Thee Manipulators have triumphed in the face of adversity through hard work and professionalism and now they deliver lightning in a bottle. The Ease Up On The Breakdowns CD is a towering achievement, capturing the excitement of this garage punk rock ‘n soul combo’s live performances with a clear and full bodied sound. Songs from their tried and true live repertoire have been honed to perfection and this album has exceeded my high expectations! The album was recorded at Little Red Sound Studios in Vancouver by Felix Fung and mastered by the band. Each of the 12 songs is a smash a hit to me. “Ooga Booga Man” is a song near and dear to Mongrel Zine’s heart, even if it lacks the crazed jungle animal cannibal-screaming version that was on our MZ Vol. 1 CD Comp (that comes in MZ#4, also containing a fun interview with the band.) I really think the world will be their oyster if it wasn’t so square! By now you probably have a collection of the plastic dollar store maracas they throw out in the crowd at live shows so you can shake one along with your ass wherever you want! Also, look for a 5-pin set featuring great caricatures of the band by the CD cover artist Rob Filbrandt! Destined to be a classic of Pacific Northwest garage rock ‘n roll music, all of which you can find at Neptoon Records at 3561 Main in Vancouver. Pick this up and support a cool local independent business! Coming soon on vinyl! (Bob Scott)

THIS REVIEW ORIGINALLY RAN IN MONGREL ZINE #7. BUY IT HERE