ATTACK OF THE GREY LANTERN

Paul Draper definitely had a healthy and vigorous fascination with the Beatles, which is a dominant influence on alternative Britpop rockers Mansun's debut studio album titled 'Attack of the Grey Lantern', a semi-conceptual album with a complex storyline and a cast of enigmatic and eccentric characters, as it had been argued that the concept had never really been finished in its entirety, which adds up to the oozing pretention and appeal of the album and the band itself. Now, Mansun seem to be all about that alternative edge in British pop music, with an alluring sound that borders on progressive, with Draper & Co. never really setting for the standard verse-chorus song structure, as their music is replete with interesting movements, moods and playful melodies, appearing all over that excellent first album, a work of a somewhat capricious and ingenious songwriter (Draper), whose oeuvre works as an antidote to the corny grunge and post-punk rock from the nineties.

In terms of the genre within which this record might fall into, we could speak of a crafty mixture of alternative rock, Britpop, and 60s psychedelia (à la Beatles), all vibrant and cynical, with memorable choruses and unpredictable twists as well as a great use of keyboards and effects, only when necessary, topped by the soothing vocals of Draper, sufficiently quirky to keep you aware of what he's singing about. The lyrics and the (loose) storyline make up a great deal of what 'Attack of the Grey Lantern' works best as, where the songwriting gets the best of each and every song, on an album that has such a rich stylistic diversity that should be found appealing by the most demanding of prog fans. Spacey single 'Wide Open Space' is obviously one of the remarkable entries on the album, but the same amount of praise has to go to 'Mansun's Only Love Song', an infectious art-rocker, the 7-minute trippy pop suite 'Taxloss', or the comically quirky tune 'Stripper Vicar', with the record closing off with strong numbers like 'Egg Shaped Fred' and the orchestral and cathartic 'Dark Mavis', ultimately working as the resolution of the story. Mansun's debut album is a fascinating piece of British alt-pop that continues to impress and sound relevant even today, with the band setting a high standard for other alternative acts to come, with their complex arrangements, excellent songwriting, and overall witty humour.

Social review comments

Review related links

• Send comments to A Crimson Mellotron
• Report this review (#3182707)
• Buy MANSUN music online with PA partners
• Show all MANSUN MP3/Stream
• Go to MANSUN page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Attack Of The Grey Lantern page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for MANSUN related discussions