Margarita Mantis – Jejune
Margarita Mantis – Jejune – Album Review
“For this album I experimented with spatial audio. Spatial audio, otherwise known as binaural panning and surround sound, is an audio mixing technique that creates a 3D sound sensation, an illusion that the instruments are moving around you in a 3D-like mode.” Okie doke. There you have it, straight from Margarita herself. I’ll be real with ya…I’m all for creativity, I’m all for experimentation, and I’m all for art – but I’ll fully admit, I’m not usually convinced by too many things when it comes to production tricks. Steve Albini was pretty legendary for trying all kinds of badass things in his day…even binaural panning – he went super analog with it when recording one of Failure’s earlier records by setting up a microphone dangling from the ceiling, and swirling it around the room as they played. I love Steve. I love Failure. But no, I wasn’t convinced that was what sold me on the material I heard – it was still the songs that did that. Cool effects, neat ideas, slick production techniques…I get why people get into that stuff and I’d be the first to tell ya there’s lots to still be explored in that area – but at the end of the day, I don’t know if I can think of a track that sold me from those aspects. More than anything else, it’s still writing & melody. Anyhow! Let’s see how this goes for Margarita Mantis, and whether this binaural panning is a gimmick or something that truly enhances the material, or if she even needs it at all. My mind is always open.
“Horde (Intro)” made for quite the ominous opening to Jejune, and you can definitely hear MM’s use of her new spatial audio methods. I’ll admit, they’re effective here – I do like what I hear on this opening track. I’m not gonna be the guy that jumps up and down and shouts THE SOUND! THE SOUND IS MOVING! IT’S MOVING FROM THE LEFT TO THE RIGHTS AND THEN BACK AGAIN! I’m just being real with ya folks. I’m tellin’ ya that “Horde (Intro)” is excellent to listen to because it’s an authentically compelling start to an album more-so than anything else. The ideas are truly interesting. It’s just a tad more than ninety seconds long, but it definitely seems to set the tone straight away…it’s a great start. I dig the seriousness in the mood, and Mantis is getting some excellent tone outta the bass and guitar.
Don’t get me wrong either – I know that it takes a lot of dedication and work to make a record with such ambition in its experimentation. Think about it this way – it’s already tough enough to mix and master an album with as many layers interacting in a linear design to begin with – and when you have everything moving around, intersecting at different points along the way, it gets exponentially tougher. I like what Margarita has done with the music, I truly do. I listen to the textures, tones, ideas, and the way things move on a song like “Us To Nowhere,” and it’s all highly interesting to my ears when it comes to the instrumentation. Similar to how I felt about what she created for her Ocean Of Life EP, listening to “Us To Nowhere” still has me feeling like she’s got a lot of room to improve her vocals and arguably, the accessibility of her songwriting. I’m not saying everything has got to have shiny, easy to digest hooks designed for the masses – but to a degree, she’s also gotta find the ability to meet listeners halfway too. Right now, in the case of a song like “Us To Nowhere,” she’s got remarkably engaging music goin’ on, but with respect to the mix, she’s got her vocals sitting up so far above the rest that it’s hard to justify at the moment. If she continues to work on that part of her music and her voice deserves the starring role in her songs, then sure, pump it up if that’s what you want to do – but as it stands, I don’t think that’s where she’s at yet…and considering how much she wanted people to strap on their headphones and listen to all the work she’s put into the music, she has to recognize that having the vocals sit so far up in the mix ends up creating the ultimate barrier between people being able to hear all that she’s done. In my opinion, a song like “Us To Nowhere” could sound HUGE, and it has some real potential to make a MASSIVE impact in that regard…but when the vocals are up as high as they are, everything else shrinks naturally by comparison. Drums sound tinier. Guitars don’t get the opportunity to have as much bite. And the list goes on. What’s on top is always the dominant trait…and if that’s what the people are going to hear the most, then believe me when I tell ya, you want that aspect to be as flawless as possible.
Beyond that, you’ve gotta consider first impressions, people’s reactions to what they hear, and in the context of any album made in a world with millions of them at everyone’s fingertips – it’s downright crucial that you give yourself the best chance at being heard and listeners continuing to listen. I was a bit skeptical of “Us To Nowhere” appearing as the first track with vocals on it, and I suppose I still am. So here’s the thing though…”I Could Love You” ends up supporting everything I’m saying. I’m not gonna lie to ya, I think there are some liberties of looseness that are being taken with the drums being a bit more than rambunctious in this particular track – but what impressed me beyond words, was that MM absolutely NAILS the vocals on this song. “I Could Love You” is noted to be re-recorded…and while I don’t know what that would necessarily entail, I can tell you that the performance she put into her vocals on this song set a completely new standard for her voice, from my perspective. I LOVE the sound of hearing an artist find their stride and what works best for them…and all I can do is tell Margarita that the blueprint for her pathway forward is right there in whatever she’s doing to sing “I Could Love You.” By pretty much every definition, it’s a quality song. I think we can start to feel that looseness gaining the upper hand towards the end, but Mantis wisely finished this off before it became a substantial issue. No joke though folks – I cannot express what a difference it makes to the material itself when she sings her songs as well as she does on “I Could Love You” – whatever it is that she’s done here is a big win, and I feel like there’s an easily winnable argument to be made that this is the best I’ve heard from Mantis on the mic so far. BIG step in the right direction here for the vocals & for the accessibility of her music too.
What makes things really, really tough on artists & bands though…in the context of critical reviews, or even just as a fan listening…is that once we know what you’re capable of, we have no choice but to hold you to the heights of the standards you reveal. So…well…I suppose what I’m saying is that our ears naturally hope to find that “I Could Love You” is the rule, and not the exception – know what I mean? As “I Don’t Dream” started up, I felt like we can instantly hear it’s not gonna quite rise up to what we just experienced in the track before, but I also think it’s fair to say Margarita didn’t fall too far from the mark either. Do I want her to really focus in on her vocals and make sure they come out with comparable quality to what we heard in “I Could Love You?” Of course – any one of us listening would likely draw to that same conclusion. She’s got a ton on her plate as the writer, producer, composer, and being the main artist in the center of the spotlight of course…but it’s a precarious spot to be in that can put you in the position of being a jack of all trades but master of none if you’re not super careful. Songs like “I Could Love You” PROVE that she can sing extremely well when that’s where the focus is – but when that focus has to be spread out across the tasks of doing so many other things, the quality of a performance in any department can wain severely. I think she does pretty well with most of “I Don’t Dream” – but after hearing the track before it and knowing how great she can be, of course we want THAT from her now, each and every time. If that’s not going to happen, the easiest solution is to dial back the volume so that the vocals aren’t playing the starring role; again, if you’ve got them up as the dominant element of a song, you’re inviting comments and criticisms if a performance isn’t completely 100% bulletproof. Songwriting-wise, “I Don’t Dream” has got some solid hooks and good ideas in the lyricism…there’s definitely potential here that I would continue to build on and refine. Musically…Margarita’s gotta be a little cautious of harnessing her energy a bit more…things tend to sound outta control at points in many of her tunes & while she manages to keep things just inside the lines, it can be a real close call at times.
A lot of the times when bands & artists think they’re creating something that listeners don’t necessarily need to pay as much attention to, like intros, interludes, short instrumentals etc. – that’s exactly when you want to listen even more closely. Take something like “Wary Sense” for example – this is a brilliant tune from start to finish, and it shows a ton of technique, unique ideas, and all-around cleverness. It’s entirely instrumental – but notice the effect it has on the quality of the ideas when there’s less that MM has to be responsible for and can really focus in on the things that matter. As a result, “Wary Sense” ends up being an extraordinary soundscape you can’t take your ears off of. I’d listen to a whole album of her making ideas like this come to life…in my own personal opinion, it’s a genius-level creation with flawless execution that speaks volumes on behalf of what she’s capable of behind the studio boards.
Alright…so…”The Pentacle” probably gives me one of the best examples I can provide her with about why the vocals aren’t making the impact she’s intending them to – it’s right there on display in the way she transitions from verse to chorus. Or more accurately, it’s shown to us by what’s missing. When it comes to songwriting in general, you really need the separation of parts to stand out for the dynamics of any given tune to make an impression. In the case of a song like “The Pentacle,” you can practically hear MM go right from finishing the verses into singing the chorus – and that’s where she kind of needs to really create her own separation, and mentally tell herself that it’s time to take the material to the next level. It’s not just another part – it’s where the main hooks are found, and usually where most people find their reason to return to a song. “The Pentacle” essentially has the same tone and energy as you’d find in the verses, if not arguably even a little less to be truthful with ya. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that “The Pentacle” has an anti-chorus in that regard, but it’s closer to that than I’m sure Margarita would have wanted it to be. All the right words, all the compelling stories, all the unique techniques in recording – all of this stuff can get completely lost without the dynamics of a song serving the purpose they should be. I like the way that Mantis attacks the verses with the energy she brings to’em, but then it’s her responsibility as a songwriter/performer to find ways to raise the stakes from there. I’m hearing lots of room for her to simply things in order to get the maximum out of each element she’s adding into her music. My gut tells me that right now, she’s doing too much…that can make anyone’s focus drift.
With Margarita’s natural accent, I’d be looking at singers like Dolores O’Riordan as an example of how to find that ever-elusive balance that’s so sorely needed in the art of making music and giving it a level of accessibility that the court of public opinion will agree with. Like, Dolores had her own fair share of questionable moments as well when it comes right down to it – and especially in live settings where she wasn’t able to take as much time as she could in a recording studio. The key is right there – don’t rush. I listen to a track like “Blind Eye” and I know that this is a song that’s still completely in the incubation stage. Deep down, Margarita knows this just as much as I do too. You wanna how I know that’s true? If you asked Margarita to sing this song right now, she’d do a better job of it than what you hear in the recording on Jejune – and that’s simply a result of having more time & experience with it. As she’s singing it on this particular recording, you can hear her mentally searching for the right way to approach it – and that indecision is costing her in the song’s fluidity overall. Potential-wise, I’d tell ya that “Blind Eye” has got more than most of the tracks in this entire lineup – at the core of this tune, Margarita has stumbled right into an extremely powerful hook in the chorus of this song…but it desperately needs to be refined even further. “Blind Eye” is the kind of track that threatens the whole lineup as it’s currently presented to us…it needs a ton of work to get it to where it needs to go, and without it, the risk of losing the average everyday listener that wants to hear impeccable attention to detail, increases. So again – to be clear…Margarita has definitely got a song here with “Blind Eye” – I genuinely think it has the potential to become one of the best tracks in her catalog…but as it stands right now, I’m not convinced that it was ready for our consumption yet. I just call things like I hear’em folks…but you know I’m always honest.
Again, I think she’s done exceptionally well with her binaural methods and recording techniques in the tinier tunes on this album, like “In Flanders Fields,” which serves as a prelude to “Though The Poppies Grow.” Love the ambience in the recording, love the spoken word, love the seriousness of the music – you could literally play this version in an educational setting and it would be entirely effective. I mean, it’s entertaining too, but you know what I mean…we naturally associate a high level of seriousness with this particular poem and all that it represents, and rightly so. As far as “Though The Poppies Grow” is concerned – I felt like this song was approached with a heavy lyrical focus that Margarita thrives within. You might have seen the video for “Though The Poppies Grow” posted up at our site the other day – but if you missed it, click here and you’ll go right to it. Suffice it to say, if you’re a regular reader here, you know a posting is much different than what we say in an in-depth review. Posts tend to be among the more positive pieces we write, whereas the reviews we create are supportive in a constructive criticism type of way. “Though The Poppies Grow” has some great ideas – the main hooks of the chorus could become excellent with some fairly minor tweaks…MM needs to enhance the dynamics of the way she sings it, probably take a couple words out here & there for the sake of its fluidity, and voila – the song would probably be right where it needs to be more or less. As it stands right now, I had moments where I’d listen to it and be genuinely perplexed by how overtly difficult Mantis can make things for herself sometimes. Like…again, it’s easy enough for me to explain…she can hear how skewed the metering for her words becomes in singing this song, and it becomes a giant mouthful of words that is extremely hard to get out in time with the music – she knows that, because you can hear her speeding up or slowing down in order to compensate for that. And the reason as to why that’s happening, is because she’s not compromising…she wants to say what she wants to say in the way that she wants to say it – and believe me, as a person that virtually writes an entire thesis on every song, I have empathy for the reasons as to why singers/songwriters have such a tough time finding the middle ground they need. That being said, the first clue is always right there in your chest…if you’re struggling to breathe or maintain the tone, energy, or cadence of your words, then take that as your cue to make life easier on yourself and adjust. There’s always another way to say things or do things that’ll make it easier on you as a performer – and sometimes even the smallest things like removing a syllable or two, can make the entire difference in the quality of the final results. Subject/theme-wise, I like “Though The Poppies Grow” and certainly appreciate where Mantis is coming from in how she’s actively pointing out how the real casualties of war are never the people in charge – “war is a rich man’s playground” as she says, and for the most part, I agree. I might be tempted to call them little boys instead of men, but I get where she’s coming from.
“Here And Thereon” – I’ve got no real substantial notes here. I’m not necessarily for, or against it, and at less than two minutes in total running time…I dunno…it seemed like a fairly inconsequential tune. I still maintain that there’s a great level of quality in these shorter tunes overall, but I suppose I can feel that way & also feel like of the four tracks that hover around the two minute mark, “Here And Thereon” felt like it kind of had the least going for it in terms of what might stand out to ya. I enjoyed it, but I’d reckon I’m the exception and not the rule in that regard…it’s a fairly barebones type of idea for certain.
Breathe Margarita. Don’t get it twisted, there’s much to admire about her. She’s got a Punk spirit when it comes right down to it…and you can hear her desire to play faster and harder flare up on pretty much every song at some point along the way. As a result, you’ll find there’s a natural fluctuation that has her speeding up and slowing down in the music and the vocals at times…which…well…I mean, I appreciate the organic way that works to a degree, even if I understand most folks would hear that an feel like she needs a steadier click track to play with when recording. My perspective on that is about as flexible as the timing is…I don’t find that too distracting, but I do notice it. I’m more concerned about whether or not Margarita is doing what the songs are calling out for the most. It can often feel like she gets to this point where it’s just time to hit some drum skins, play some rippin’ bass lines, and add in the kitchen sink…and I think she’s gotta be cautious with that. Explore space. Prioritize timing. Be objective, and be ruthless about what makes the final cut. I listen to a track like “Victory Bells” and fear that she’d be losing quality ideas in the fog. The average listener’s threshold isn’t like her own or like mine is – it’s a much finer line between what they’ll stick with, and what they’ll turn off. When you end up at this point in each song where everything gets added in, and the methods/approach don’t deviate enough to feel like they’re different, you run that risk of things being too similar for most folks to comprehend. I think the main hooks of “Victory Bells” will likely compensate for any perceived shortcomings it has. All-in-all, I’d say it’s one of my favorite tracks on the record, but I still think MM can slow things down, make life easier for herself, and make sure each layer & element she’s adding in is truly contributing to the song. It’s not just a matter of adding things in…if something doesn’t sound like it’s serving a purpose, then you can safely bet what you’re adding in is actually actively taking something away from the rest of the song. There’s a solid song to be found in what she’s got here on “Victory Bells” though; just gotta tighten it up.
Part of slowing things down, focusing in, and being objective, is the brutality that is required – which is usually the hardest thing to achieve, given that creators are so close to their material. I get it – it makes perfect sense to me…you spend all that time writing, performing, recording, and presumably doing at least a couple of those things more than once per song, and it can be extremely tough to leave anything on the cutting room floor after so much effort has been put in. That being said, it can be crucial to really be as brutal as you can and hold yourself to the highest standards you can – because the last thing that I think any artist or band wants to do is simply create another song that’ll slip into the background of life. The reality is, that’s what most people do despite their best intentions – it takes a superhuman amount of effort and a little bit of luck to end up with something seriously unforgettable in terms of a song being memorable. Personalities and styles can often be more memorable than the music is – like, at this point in her career, I’d remember Margarita Mantis without question…she’s got identity for sure…but as far as the songs go, I think there’s still a lot of work to make them memorable on a case by case basis. Like, when I was listening to “Feeling Blue,” I was trying to figure out if there would be any chance that I’ll remember this song six months down the road, whereas I’ll remember Mantis for decades. See how that works? Right now, scanning the lineup of Jejune…I feel like there’s a lot of material that is going to struggle in holding up over the years to follow in terms of how memorable it might be. Obviously each and every person that listens will feel their own way about all that…and time will ultimately tell the story about whether or not I’m right…but as it stands, I feel like MM has a lot of work to be done in order to really find that connection to her music that makes it every bit as memorable to us on the other side of the speakers. “Feeling Blue” is an alright tune as far as I can tell. What Margarita has to decide is whether or not writing songs that would be described as ‘alright’ is what she’s really going for. I feel like she’s probably a lot more ambitious than that. I don’t get the sense that doing ‘enough’ is ever going to BE enough for Margarita Mantis…and so the work continues. Refine, adjust, refine, adjust…rinse, repeat – I respect her for the commitment she brings to her music and doing things her own way, but I can do that and still recognize that she’s gotta bridge a chasm of obstacles between her & ears willing to listen.
Not everything has to match, and there are no rules when it comes to songwriting – but there are things that she can do that’ll help with the accessibility of her tunes. Something like “To Treasure What We Lose” is a great example of things that go right, while also highlighting the difference between what’s working and not. Take the title of the song itself…when Margarita is singing that, it sounds excellent – largely in part because she’s taking her time with it. “To Treasure What We Lose” is a slower song to begin with, so the pairing of her singing slowly along with the sparse but beautiful melody of the music really works wonders. Then she goes and does this thing where she’ll add a whole bunch of words into the space, speeding up her vocals in order to fit’em all in…and I’m like…yo…Mantis…hold back a little! You’re never going to be able to say everything on the inside of one song anyhow…so ease up a bit, and really start tapping into what the material is calling out for. I listen to a track like “To Treasure What We Lose” and I’d tell ya that you really want everything to come out with a low-key energy to match the mood and the vibe of the music here – that’s what’s going to lead you to victory. Like I was tellin’ ya earlier though, Mantis has got a Punk-Rock spirit running through her veins though, and I feel like she can be her own worst enemy when it comes to softer moments like you’ll find on “To Treasure What We Lose.” It’s like you can feel her getting antsy in the background, just waiting for an opportunity to speed things up…and not every moment in music is calling out for that. Sometimes, the best path to take is the most obvious one to be truthful with ya…that doesn’t mean you have to do things that have already been done, but it does suggest that listening to where the music is trying to take you would be the most recommended course of action. I don’t want to seem like I’m complaining too much about this song though – “To Treasure What We Lose” would still be up there with my favorites on this album, because I do feel like Mantis played the majority of this moment correctly. At its best, she’s truly mesmerizing on this song, and at its worst, it just sounds like she’s grown a bit impatient with the pace that it has and tries to manually speed “To Treasure What We Lose” up through the vocals alone. The rest of the song refuses to come along with her, and so the vocals end up a bit isolated at times energy-wise. Overall though, the lyricism is some of my favorite from her on the album, and the main hooks of the melody in the chorus of “To Treasure What We Lose” are some of the best she’s created to-date, in my opinion.
Yeah…I think it’s a matter of less can be more Margarita. She should definitely be commended for how much she’s done on what’s actually her debut full-length album – but it’s going to be by doing less that she’ll go on to do more in the future. “Bridge Of Life” has some potential to it…it’s kind of similar to something you’d get if you were to cross The National and The Cure together, and I love both of those bands…so to feel that way about the comparison puts her in pretty good shape on this track. Her poetic words work effectively – and certainly in the opening verse when combined with the way she sings it. Past that point, the vocals start to drift a bit and color a little outside the lines…you start to get the sense that MM is the type of person that takes every opportunity to sing, no matter how much or how little things might seem to fit naturally. Like, I’m imagining her at the grocery store, singing the list of items she’s looking to purchase, regardless of whether or not things rhyme. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing…not everything always needs to rhyme in a song, in fact, many of the best, don’t adhere to a particular rhyme scheme at all. That being said, it’s always safest to walk before you try to run. I hear moments like around the 2:45 mark in “Bridge Of Life” and that’s where things can be frustrating for me on the listening side of the speakers. Because I’ve heard “I Could Love You” eleven songs earlier, and I KNOW that Mantis can sing with perfect pitch and tone and all that good stuff. If it wasn’t for that song, I wouldn’t have the higher standards set to measure her by, but alas, she recorded it, and here we are – I have a comparison that I can always make, because it completely confirmed she can be as great of a singer as she wants to be. When the vocals become the focus, she’s shown us she’s more than capable. I listen to that 2:45 spot on “Bridge Of Life” and my first instincts are to tell her to jump right back in the studio booth and give that another go. Over time, the effect of not getting something to come out exactly as it should is always the same – it’s never going to be the 95% of things going right that she’ll hear…it’ll be the 5% she’ll remember she could have done better, and it’ll honestly haunt her bones. I only want her to succeed…so trust me, I’m not trying to be discouraging whatsoever – I’m doing everything I can to provide her with relevant advice that will help & encourage her to get the best out of herself and the music she’s making. “Bridge Of Life” is another track I’d definitely say has potential, and to continue to work with it and build upon what she’s got here. It has a stellar foundation to work with.
So…to sum things up, it’s not the binaural panning that’s going to set Margarita Mantis apart from the rest. I ain’t denying that her methods and approach has had some excellent moments along the way, but I’m not gonna be the guy to say that it establishes enough of difference in the material, and I wouldn’t say there’s a one-size-fits-all way to record anything either. Each situation, and every song, calls for something different…and I suppose that’s what I’ve been trying to say throughout my extensive commentary here. It all starts with the songs themselves…and that’s where MM has gotta remain focused at first as she gets her career off the ground at the beginning…the material…we’re looking for songs that are memorable beyond her personality. That means hooks…that means finding ways to meet listeners in the middle so that MM doesn’t have to compromise who she is as an artist, but can also reach the people with material they can engage with in their own ways too. Right now, Mantis is going to be a challenging listen for most folks, but I feel like she probably knows what tweaks she needs to make in order to broaden the scope of her potential audience. “Jejune” was a solid ending to the album and another song that could definitely go on to be something special with another level of refinement. It’s definitely got some of my favorite music on the record, and I like that she’s stuck more strictly to the pace that it has without deviating from that too much. The poetry is there. She’s got some quality hooks in the chorus. Like a great many of her tunes, you can hear where it can go from where it is now.
As I’ve been alluding to, it’s all about being brutally objective MM…and that can be an incredibly hard thing to do without genuine feedback, constructive criticism, and continually learning from experience. I never expect everyone out there to agree with everything I’ve ever said, but hopefully somewhere in this review I’ve said something that will help you grow and strengthen your craft for the future ahead. Jejune is a commendable start when you consider how many things that Margarita has accomplished on her own – but I promise ya, she’s got a lot more inside her that we’ve yet to hear yet…and the more she taps into that…the more she lets her passion & purpose guide her…the further she’ll go with her music.
Find out more about Margarita Mantis from her official website at: https://www.margaritamantis.com
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