Reviewed by Steve Boniface

Rock band The Manic Shine claim to have discovered an illness called ‘Sickotrashmusicitis’. Described as the ‘chronic feeling of lethargy and nausea when listening to music on mainstream radio’, it seems to have only one cure. No prizes for guessing what that might be.
It’s a fun quote that does an excellent job of signalling their intentions early – they are looking to bring something different to the table, a true alternative to popular culture. The question is whether The Manic Shine can deliver on that promise.
In a sense they certainly do. Many of the tracks on album Blindsider couldn’t be further from the playlist material of most mainstream and commercial radio stations, and they’re all the better for it even if they won’t bust any blocks.
The production values on this LP are excellent by any standards, with each of the many musical layers shining through at all the right times. This is technically proficient rock as played by skilled musicians, and the lengthy tracks often include musical interludes which arguably outshine the vocal led sections.
The sound of the band is heavily driven by the rhythm section, with the drums and excellent bass guitar parts weave in and out of one another with great skill. The guitar and vocals are good too, but the more you listen to the album the more you enjoy what’s going on underneath. As a result, this album isn’t one that makes a major initial impact. Give it a few listens though, and it will reward you.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgWTTon8K2c]
Track highlights include My Woman (the recent single), as well as The Poet and the Lullabye, which has a marked electronica influence. The reggae infused, slower Til Your Pockets Glow is also a decent change of pace – reminiscent of Incubus in their heyday and arguably the most radio friendly of the tracks.
Overall, this is a strong rock LP with a lot to offer if given the chance. I’d be very interested to hear the next release, and see how the sound develops over time. In the meantime though, this album is worth your time – especially if you’re a fan of well written rock and/or good bass guitar players.

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Reviewed by Steve Boniface

With the current wave of male solo singer-songwriters taking their place in the public consciousness it’s hard to say whether or not Jake Morley’s emergence is perfectly timed. The current focus on artists such as Ben Howard and Ed Sheeran could mean that more people will be willing to hear what Morley has to offer, but in order to steal some of their spotlight it will take someone of immense talent and drive.
Fortunately, Jake Morley has both of these, as evidenced throughout this sparkling debut LP which approaches the acoustic genre with a distinct folk-blues feel. Listening through the album for the first few times it’s hard to pick out highlights due to the strength of every track on offer and the best recommendation is to sit down for an hour and fully take in everything it has to give.
To the uninitiated, Morley has more than a passing musical resemblance to the aforementioned Ed Sheeran, particularly on track one, The Light. Regular comparisons have been made between the two in the online community, but to say this is to ignore the fact that they both write from different places altogether, both excellent in different ways.
Morley’s lyrics, for example, are far less blatant in their emotion, often asking the listener to do more work in the interpretation of his songs. And where Sheeran regularly writes from a more urban/hip-hop sensibility, this release has a for more rootsy background to it.
This folk background comes to the fore most Reeling, with its lilting harmonies, and Be With Me Once More, with its building tempo, banjo and ukulele. This track is also an excellent example of his lyrical style, using a collection of seemingly inconsequential objects which turn out to be vitally important, and using them as a metaphor for being one half of a relationship. It’s a style reminiscent of Loudon Wainwright III, an old school folk singer well known for summing up complex sentiments with the simplest of words.
The sheer number of top drawer tracks on this album makes listing them all a moot point. There’s no space to highlight here everything that’s good about it. The fierce lead single Feet Don’t Fail Me Now for instance, or the catchy blues stomp of Freddie Laid The Smackdown. Not to mention the brilliant seventh track, Pondering On A Scenario In Which I Am The Hero, which draws on the common human desire for that defining moment of truth when the world is watching.
If you do get the album (which you should) then it would also be churlish not to buy the Special DVD edition. In an unusual move for a debut release, the DVD that comes with the CD features  archive video footage and a bizarre but brilliant presentation of song notes and lyrics scribbled and taped to the underside of a table. Not to mention song by song interviews, helping you understand each track better.
The main DVD feature though is a recorded full band gig worth the price of the release on its own. It gives a real flavour of how these tracks are carried over into the live environment, and how they don’t lose any of their lustre once free of the studio.
If Jake Morley is arguably riding the wave of current singer-songwriters, then his place there is well deserved.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHFoM3nNvPc]