Mangoo - Neolithic Noisynoise ( Regular Member ) 141 posts since 6/4/2008 Posted on 5/14/2009 at 9:13:11 PM Mangoo - Neolithic Review by Nick DeMarino (StonerRock.com) 7:45 Records Release Date: 2009 I didn’t ask for a combination of fuzz tones and radio friendly rock, but I have to say it’s actually pretty damn good. Turku, Finland’s Mangoo play driving tunes with an army of keyboards and vocal harmonies. The band’s simultaneous guitar and singing leads are a bit overwhelming and overly polished for this jaded lo-fi enthusiast, but once you submit to the arrangements, it’s kinds of charming. Neolithic, the quintet’s debut, is a hodgepodge of s t y l es, from ‘70s Hawkwind to ‘90s Soundgarden to ‘00s Queens of the Stone Age. While there’s always a great guitar hook in the mix, the vocal lines are often the loudest element of the mix. Sure Mangoo’s singer has some chops and is better than the average fare, but it’s a sin for those analog guitar tones to play second fiddle to anything. Oddly enough, despite the carefully crafted leads and thick orchestration, there’s not too much variance between songs. “Birds of Prey” and “Queen of Glam,” both potential singles, are quickly erased from memory by new layers of multiple leads played at similar speeds and in similar song structures. The two ballads, “So Not” and “Not Your Dog,” are more dynamic but are nearly as potent. The harmonica hijinks at the end of the latter are especially fun and return attention to the salient feature of this band - this is music that’s meant to be enjoyed, not overly analyzed. I’d enjoy seeing this live and could probably even get away with bringing friends who “want to go dancing.” A lot of work obviously went into this - it’s a shame it’s too damn busy and polished. Still, Mangoo is fun and pretty good for a crossover act. URL: http://www.myspace.com/mangoomusic Edited 0 Times Because there is a B in both and an N in neither     ( Post a Reply to This Thread ) ( Back to Album Reviews )