MAUGER ‘SHINY’
In a warmer tone, alternative rock band MAUGER brings an immersive, picturesque album SHINY. The scenic album takes a deep dive into the brilliance of full-band sonics. With just one or two songs in, MAUGER is easily on the top of a list of bands and artists that deserve some heavy replay.
Breathtaking and thought-dissolving; “Minute to Rest” has a warm, campfire vibe to it. The drums are keen and spirited. Imaginative guitar solo hits the right spot. The track places listeners atop of a mountain at dawn. The air is cooling down and the sky is dissolving in nuanced, beautiful colors. There’s playfulness in the dance of dissonance. The first hint of experimentation in the album has the spark of Radiohead in it. Undoubtedly, the first track sets quite a unique tone for the album.
Front man Mauger Mortier’s vocal is aesthetically pleasing and atmospheric. Melancholia at times, but like a mood-filled impressionistic painting, his voice is more of an impression that doesn’t seem to dissolve or become forgettable in time. His light falsetto has quite some Thom Yorke in it. At times, he shows you a side of childlike wonder, and at times, he’s off a 20 year old, still raw and passionate; then the other times, the maturity and deeply haunting emotions make you doubt if this is coming from the same person.
“Own Me” and “A Mindless Move” are on the more edgy side of the album, where the bands stirs up the arrangement a little, exploring different tones and sounds. “Own Me” features a characteristic bass that runs parallel with the vocal before blossoming into a full band sound. “A Mindless Move,” has a deep melancholia in the soundcapes while exploring gentle conflicts. The ode gives you a feeling as if standing on the edge of the world. Light marimba, deep bass, soft guitar and sensuous piano. The celestial backing voice adds something so different to the imagery.
“Ma Ja” gives out a guitar riff on the move. Like a flock of birds leaving or heading somewhere else, it provokes the feelings of on the road. The fast paced track is uplifting. “So Shiny” explores a softer folk side of the band with a sense of nostalgia. Many tracks in the album also evoke certain familiarity, like the sounds and melodies have existed in space for long and MAUGER captured them so perfectly and put it in songs. Mesmerizing and evocative. There’s mystery around SHINY.
If “So Shiny” is one person’s journey, “I Waited Up” is a carnival. The track opens with a stadium-filling warmth. In a change of sceneries, featuring a playful piano and jangling guitar, the track puts you in a road trip mood. “Don’t Carry Too Much Weight,” then feels like sitting at a bus stop where all the thoughts and feelings coming at you while your eyes are lost in the scenery. “Minute To Rest (part II)” concludes the album with a dynamic, clickety-clack rock phenomenon.
