ALBUM REVIEW: Mannequins – Hail Spirit Noir
In celebration of their tenth year together, HAIL SPIRIT NOIR change from their usual guitar driven sound, which fans will know shifts between progressive and psychedelic rock and black metal, to synthwave. On Mannequins, there is a horror theme to fire the imagination into realms of cult classics and kitsch soundtracks of the 80s.
12-31-1985 Night Shift is a very strange place to start, and it’s awesome. It takes the form of snippets of various soundbites all uncomfortably sewn together in juxtaposing snippets that really sets the scene for what’s to come. Enjoyably, Against Your Will, My Blade starts as a hokey, arcade style bop that slowly leans in to a realm of more sinister sounds, with elements of warbling and echoing to level the darkly ridiculous sounds from the 80s era. After this, title track Mannequins makes a lush soundscape for this imagined world, with typically pop vocals over a warm bed of synth that’s nostalgic and inviting, just as synthwave should be. As per the horror side of this genre, there are some ridiculous, spooky effects whistling and whirring to great effect that are well placed and not used simply because they can be, but for the tongue in cheek enjoyment of the listener.
12-31-1985 Night Shift II does away with the previous ideas of the namesake track before it, but is a creepy little segue that sets the right frame of mind for the next track, The Monsters Came From The Sky. This one has all the lavish, tinkling and whooshing effects you’d imagine, building up to a menacing but pretty banging piece of electronica. There are also some attractive, lighter moments that pull into a more uplifting section that are a nice surprise and a change from the expected too.
Visitors Of Horror is pretty wonder filled, but its sparsity can make it feel more like the more experimental, early synth work of early records like THE ZODIAC’s Cosmic Sounds, as opposed to the modern genre we have come to expect synthwave to be. It does gain some expressive depth towards the end of the first half, and unravels into something a little bolder. However, it’s not the record’s strongest track. Thankfully, Enter Disco Inferno has a lot more personality. Think a Bond theme but based around kitsch 80s horror and there you have it. The vocals are obviously a big part of this track, but the way they’re elevated and intertwined into the melody is just good fun and results in a well-made arrangement.
Mannequins II is again more an interlude than a full-blown track. It’s nice, and there’s perhaps a reading into this that might give some weight to the naming; that all the sequel songs so far have been small and generally detached from the fuller, ‘original’ tracks. This might be a parallel to the over-saturation of hopeful franchises of the 80s, where the never-ending sequels never lived up to the hype of their predecessors. Or, failing that, they’re just nice little interludes to break up the record.
A stand out track is Alien Cell Charging, with its immersive, sonic storytelling allowing your mind to become totally involved in the minutiae of what’s going on. The classic theremin style sounds of spooky synth work are crisp and fun, while the beat is just on the edge of up-tempo to make you feel on edge.
As we move towards the end of the record, On The Loose Again is another cracking track and is definitely a highlight from its opening notes to finale. It’s beautifully gushing from one idea to the next, slowly changing from bright and optimistic to hints of the ominous that don’t distract, but all the while keeping in sight ideas and thoughts of a fast-paced adventure. Ending Crashers is the last interlude style track that keeps the simple but never offensive one-minute motions of previous tracks. Ending Crashers II is where the big money is, with kooky ideas and a focused movie-like quality.
This album’s sense of spectacle has in mind the likes of Jean-Michel Jarre or TANGERINE DREAM with its big, opulent cinematic themes. While there’s a sense of kitsch and cult hilarity in the sheer amount of over-the-top horror sounds and ideas, it’s never boring. This is the kind of synthwave that won’t reinvent the genre, but it’s not trying to. What HAIL SPIRIT NOIR do achieve with Mannequins is good fun music that’s evidently had real love and care put into its making.
Rating: 7/10
Mannequins is set for release on September 10th via Agonia Records.
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