And here's another one. Soulo (Shawn King and Nate Flannigan) releases yet another album that combines the organic with the inorganic, Man, the Manipulator, exposing both the positives and negatives of trying to combine the two conflicting elements. Replete with a wide variety of instruments, ranging from guitars, banjos, and flutes to trombones, french horn, and clarinet, Man, the Manipulator is an eclectic hodgepodge of genres, forcibly combining such disparate styles as electronica and bluegrass. And it works to varying degrees. The problem with these types of albums is that no matter how hard they try to combine the sounds, the programmed drums always come off as subservient, and the sparsely-used vocals always seem to undermine itself. At some points, the eclecticism causes the songs to sound as if they were suffering from an identity crisis (e.g. "The Status Seekers"), sounding overbloated with ideas and less concerned with an overall dynamic or impression. But when Soulo is on, the fruits of their collage-esque tactic pays off, such as on the intricate "Daddy's Girl, Mama's Boy" which affectively combines slide guitar and electronic bleeps-- a near-impossible feat. Songs like these, as well as other daring tracks like "The Peter Principle" and the jaw-droppingly amazing "What do you say after Hello???", gives me faith that in another album or two, Soulo will find its strengths and throw out its weaknesses. For now, we can enjoy the sounds of a duo who are having a blast while trimming the fat.
1. What do you say after Hello???
2. How do you feel?
3. Daddy's Girl
4. Mama's Boy
5. Emotions, Can You Trust Them?
6. The Status Seekers
7. Born Female
8. The Pursuit of Loneliness
9. Games Mother Never Taught You
10. Your Erroneous Zones
11. Peace from Nervous Suffering
12. The Peter Plan
13. The Peter Principle
More about: Soulo
