It's a shame. That an artist may be so heartfelt and sincere in his approach to his work yet still fail to produce anything of real value is one of the most enervating aspects of creating. It's a tragic case, and in the case of McManus, an ever-present one. For that I'll grant the guy, he comes across as a person who cares a hell of a lot about his music, and elicits great pride from it. Yet, despite this, his music never does near the heights that music from someone like McManus could reach. Never is this is more evident that on his latest effort, The Shining Path.
Like War Of The Bruces, The Shining Path draws its influences from folk, lo-fi artists the likes of Simon Joyner and Vic Chestnutt. The difference here, however, is that while Joyner and Chesnutt's work, at their best, brimmed with vitality, the songs on The Shining Path struggle to get by -- almost wheezing their way through, as if conscious of their own inertness. Most tracks rely on pretty morbid (and admittedly technically impressive) guitar interplay alongside minimal drum patterns which, though initially interesting, soon gets tiring.
Moreover, McManus is not especially gifted at crafting a hook, and so as a result, songs become a tedious chore to get through, with no real noteworthy moments. Whenever a song is able to rise above the monotony of its peers and provide the listener some excitement, it struggles holding up the pace and soon, too, falls flat. "Beautiful Slanted Northern Light," for example, begins promisingly, with a tenor voice hovering above a finely crafted banjo line, only to grow self-satisfied and provide no subsequent moments of interest.
Here and there is a highlight, but for the most part the album drags on languidly; and by the time the closing track, the title track, rolls around, it has as much vitality as an out-off-breath old man. One gets the feeling that McManus grew overly-complacent of his guitar playing -- so much so that no further thought went into anything else. To be truthful, "The Shining Path," is one of the better tracks on the album and, despite its length and repetitiveness, manages to keep a hold of my attention. The album, however, does not, and that undoubtedly is its biggest fault -- something no amount of sincerity can make up for.
1. The Electric Halo
2. Beautiful Slanted Northern Light
3. Add It On
4. Pilot Light
5. Far East Sweet
6. My Nerviosa
7. Fine Solutions
8. What Do You Know About Home
9. Sleepwalking
10. The Shining Path