Manikin

Stop the Sirens

Third album
from Manikin
Released 2009.

This is from Audra Shroeder of The Austin Chronicle:

Manikin's metronomic punk aggression manifests a disciplined, restrained attack, lying in wait rather than charging. The Austin quartet's dystopian point of view gets pressed in wax with third LP Stop the Sirens, and the rhythmic crossbeams of "Death March," re-recorded from 2007's M Theory 7-inch, points to exactly what makes Manikin so efficient. The band's cover of the Cure's "Grinding Halt" tightens the jangle and turns it into futuristic chant, while "Mirrors" and "Sirens" ride dark waves out of three chords. "Leaders" cuts into the meat of Manikin's sound: big, thick basslines and tightly coiled drums; guitar strangling itself on the margins; Bill Jeffery's trumpet punctuating sentences here and there. It's synergy, pure and simple, so when the slow strum of closer "Later Days" brings the album to a not-so-grinding halt, your mind is already craving the heavy stuff again. That's the sneak attack.

M Theory

Second 7" from Manikin Released 2007.

This is an excerpt from Todd Killings of Victim of Time:....Manikin does a great job of conjuring up visions of early 80s unclassifiable LP compilations like Keats Rides Harley, that covered such a vast spectrum of underground music when the field was still wide open. While they effortlessly jettison their tightly-wound machine into the next dimension, they continue to create something out of nothing and leave another remarkable recording as evidence to their hypnotic and immediate charm.....

Still

Second full length release from Manikin 2005

Here's an excerpt from Lord Rutledge of Now Wave.....Still's stellar bookend tracks deserve a mention. "Face the Wall" kicks off the album with a bang, working a dark '81 California punk attack reminiscent of Manikin's first album. Then comes "Disconnect", a standout track from the band's last EP, which reappears here sounding punkier and even more frantic than before. Fast-forward to the very end of the album..."Carry On" is a welcome, way-out-of-leftfield surprise. Drummer Alyse Mervosh takes over lead vocals on this minimalist pop gem, which recalls the sparse, wintry beauty of the first Velvet Underground LP. Mervosh sings plaintively overtop a military drumbeat and Bill Jeffreys's sweet-but-somber trumpet, the song closing the album in a calming, sad-pretty manner. This is how the movie version of Still ends - not with an explosion, but rather with a serene sunset. The credits roll, and the audience pauses to reflect on what they've just experienced. Methinks they'll leave the theater impressed.

M.4 Manikin

Manikin's first 7" Released 2004

I keep on thinking they’re writing me songs on a postcard from the outreaches of Siberia. Cold, tattered art rock, that although infused with an Eastern Bloc solemnity, is engaging and slightly hypnotic, like watching the wheels of a train when it’s speeding up and clanging along. So, not cock rock or smash-you-in-the-face rock, but more Pere Ubu and Wire: it’s primarily about weight and atmosphere, but with scraping hooks and definite momentum. Could have easily come out in the late ‘70s England or Cleveland instead of Austin 2005. Satisfying stuff.---Todd Taylor of Razorcake

Manikin

Manikin's first Full length. Self-titled released 2002.

Throbbing bass lines punctuate many of the songs here, while the guitars chop through the tunes, giving them a slightly less macabre Joy Division touch. Others have a similar postpunk sort of vibe while still maintaining a likeable, but not overly happy, pop enthusiasm. It's a lot like some of those early '80s English bands except that these guys retain that "we are still playing in Austin, Texas garage" feel. Highly recomended for those of us completely sickened by the numerous bands that attempt to duplicate the same sounds.--- Punk Planet