It's rare that
one encounters an independent musician who has
overcome the general malaise of the music
market, but Anders Manga is a shining example
that the 'DIY ethic' still holds merit. With a
long and strong background in the horror and
fetish film world, his musical project was
surprisingly founded less than two years ago.
Anders rose to success from the rather unusual
locale of Charlotte, North Carolina, due to
persistence, sheer talent, and the
word-of-mouth power of the Internet, success
has been a whirlwind.
Self-produced in
his home, his debut, One Up for the Dying,
arrived in 2005 with a sound and style that
was distinctly gothic, yet painted upon a
canvas of electronic dance instrumentation and
arrangements. Similar to perhaps the recent
goth-friendly works of Gary Numan, DJs and
scene journalists began referring to his work
as 'gothtronica,' a label that seems to have
stuck with him. His first single, "We
Won't Stay Dead," became an international
club hit; combining Anders' distinctive
baritone fog with insistent thumping beats and
fluttering fuzzy arpeggios, it was like a
missing key between the estranged sub-genre
siblings, goth and industrial.
Amazingly, Anders Manga is equally productive
in the visual arena, his debut alone boasting
an extravagant appendix of four music videos.
With a professional polish to all these works,
it is clear that Anders' days as a film auteur
have been a definite asset for fleshing out
his vision.
Early in 2006,
Anders conjured up another full-length album,
an amazing feat considering less than a year
had passed since his arrival. His sophomore
release, Left on An All-Time Low, not only
expanded his project's line-up from a solo
effort into a capable quartet, but it also
found a more organic niche between his
electronic rhythms and his voice's Lestat-like
countenance. Now an actual live-performing
force, Anders Manga left the studio and set
foot to blaze a trail across the American
festival circuit, with appearances at
Gothstock, Convergence, Eccentrik and
Dracula's Ball thus far under their belt.
Late 2006 saw
the release of his third album, "Welcome
to the Horror Show" . The disc opens with
a cut called, “The Shrine”, a perennial
shout out to the undead and a dance floor hit
in its own right. From here, the CD ranges
through a broad expanse of highly educated
sound, containing the best elements of
virtually all known forms of music and
transmogrifying them into a concise hegemony
of exquisite perfection.
Whatever class
of subculture you find yourself affiliated
with, there is something for you in this work.
Though still deeply underground, it will one
day influence the course of mainstream
American music. Listening to this music will
transfer the corporeality of your soul form,
from one of life, to the transcendence of that
notion.
In February of
2007, Anders released "Blood Lush".
Four albums in three years, no other musician
or band, that I can think of, has ever done
this. And had any other artist tried it
something would be lost with each succeeding
album. But Blood Lush remains true to the
style and aural presence that is the musical
world of Anders Manga. The album takes you
through a soundscape of sexuality cloaked in
darkness.
Tolerate is the track that hit me the hardest,
though I’m not sure why. The Lines:
Let’s crash the world and let’s shatter
all of the gates
Let’s conjure all the insanity that we can
tolerate
Conjure in me a willingness to take things to
excess, but that’s just me. It’s heartbeat
rhythm and screeching synths can conjure
nightmare if you leave the headphones on while
you’re listening to it. But like I’ve said
before nightmares are a good inspiration.
Science Fiction is a soft ballad of a twisted
and warped relationship. It’s almost
heartbreaking to listen to, Anders
successfully projects the wrenching pain
through his voice and the band is a symphony
of tears. 49 Snakes is easily the most
energetic track on the album. It’s a scary
insanity filled song bringing images of
hallucinations and padded cells.
I think Blood Lush might be the best album
Anders has made thus far. It’s dark and
scary, and could totally be the soundtrack of
one of those old Hammer House horror movies,
but it would have to be one of the Dracula
movies starring Christopher Lee.
