- Sleepwalking.mp3
(The Shining Path)
- The Electric Halo.mp3
(The Shining Path)
- Sunken City.mp3 (The
War of the Bruces)
- Cold War.mp3 (The War of the Bruces)
- Cold War (alternate
mix).mp3 (exclusive MP3 download)
Bio
Alex McManus minted his lengthy and impressive musical pedigree all the way back in 1993 when he contributed "scratchy fiddle" to Simon Joyner's The Cowardly Traveler Pays His Toll. Since then, McManus has spent time as a sideman in Vic Chesnutt's band, he plays a variety of instruments in Lambchop, and he contributes euphonium and guitar to various recent incarnations of the Bright Eyes live band. But being a sideman is not McManus' main outlet - when he moves to the forefront, he becomes the Bruces, a one man fuzz/folk project inaugurated in 1993. Originating in the heyday of Shrimper, Catsup Plate and Sing Eunuchs lo-fi cassettes, the Bruces sprung from a scene that also birthed the Mountain Goats, Simon Joyner, Franklin Bruno and Sentridoh.
In 1995 the Bruces released their first proper album (not counting cassette-only releases), Hialeah Pink, in a limited vinyl edition. Seven years passed with almost no activity from the Bruces (aside from a seven-inch and a few compilation appearances) until fall of 2002, when Misra released The War of the Bruces. That same fall, the Bruces evolved into a live band (featuring Conor Oberst on bass) and toured the U.S. opening for Bright Eyes. The War of the Bruces marked a major evolution in the Bruces sound - the songs grew from self-consciously lo-fi bedroom folk recordings into expansive, fuzzed out pop songs that were compared to everything from Howe Gelb and Will Oldham to Neutral Milk Hotel and Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. This time around, McManus hasn't kept us in suspense: Just two years later, the wait for the next Bruces record is over.
The Shining Path was recorded at Fried From Sound, McManus' Omaha
home studio and written and recorded by McManus himself with help from a few
contributing musicians. The attention to detail on this record is staggering;
every sound, every heartfelt, vivid image is carefully placed - from subtle
horns or banjo to the most minute fuzz or plucked acoustic guitar. Part of
this is due to McManus' proficiency at a vast arsenal of instruments and his
longtime experience with home recording, but it certainly doesn't hurt that
he once again enlisted the help of fellow Lambchop member Marky Nevers when
it came time to mix. But The Shining Path is more than just a sonic
delight. The songs themselves are staggering; they sound like lost remnants
of the 60s/70s folk that cemented the careers of such greats as Jackson C.
Frank, Bert Jansch and Roy Harper, only sung with McManus' midwestern drawl.
Couple that with some perfectly placed hooks -- creating an odd, fascinating
brew of sing-along choruses and stark folk moments -- and The Shining Path
is a perfect album of American music.
Discography
