Serena-Maneesh

Serena-Maneesh 2: Abyss in B Minor (4AD)

By Erin Lyndal Martin
Published: April 30th, 2010 | 1:00pm

Though Serena-Maneesh 2: Abyss in B Minor has invited comparisons to My Bloody Valentine's Loveless (Creation), these Norwegians have crafted a much noisier affair. It's Loveless for 2010, an album where the ethereal beauty is often gift-wrapped under layers of static noise, effects pedals overdrive, and fuzzy guitars. Some songs, like the nearly eight-minute opener "Ayisha Abyss" ditch the shoegaze altogether to focus on a furious war of ambience vs. noise, the vocals muffled under the sound.

Once you make it through the clamor, you'll find much to love here. The MBV comparisons are limited to certain songs, making the likeness of the two bands seem less apt than comparisons to Bowery Electric or Cocteau Twins. Vocalist Elvira Nikolaisen sings above the noise, adding hooks and melodies in the most unlikely places. On the gorgeous love song "I Just Want to See Your Face," she is in top form, contributing a romantic urgency to the musical fury.

Then there are songs like "Honeyjinx" which seem more like the band's own experiments that might have been better kept in the vault. While it might provoke a "well, that's interesting" or two, there's not much else to redeem such a cluttered number.

S-M 2: Abyss in B Minor is beauty for those who like their beauty dirty. And, at moments, there's beauty for the rest of us, too.

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4AD Records