Mantra are an intriguing two piece who are currently touring the north
of England. Consisting of Kesh Patel and Alex Routledge there is an
impressive amount of instruments and styles compressed into just the two
reviewed tracks on this their first official release; the "Shake me down
EP".
From the outset of the title track a perfectly coarse and energetically
strained voice jumps in spewing words as fast as it can get away with
backed by hurrying drums eager to get started. Then the piano dives in
head first with fingers across all its keys to give a funky blend of
house and rock in which to announce the arrival of an obscured bass.
You get the feeling that this is a high tempo, bold and ambitious Anthem
that is unfortunately let down by its production, bursting with ideas
yet overcrowded by the reversed guitars. About half way through this
brief track it breaks down to a funky bass line and warm sounding hand
drums, this is when it finally becomes clear what Mantra are out to
achieve and its damn hard not to nod along to the rolling rhythm.
However after the gradual reintroduction of a now friendly house type
piano the backwards guitars creep back in and everything becomes
energetically messy once more. The drums (now supplemented by the hand
drums) become more and more ferocious until its relieving end.
The second track "Forget to Breathe" couldn't possibly be any more
different, being a beautifully arranged piano and synth led ballad. This
time Kesh’s vocals fit and the voice (sounding like Ben Gautrey of the
Cooper Temple Clause) is carefully balanced with the piano. The guitar
and drums arrive at just the right moments to keep the slow paced song
moving, building and then fading to end the song in good time.
Overall impressions are that Mantra have something to offer and their
songwriting ability is enough to draw you in but, as yet, not to hold
your attention. It would be interesting to see them perform live merely
to see how the two manage to recreate the overlaid "Shake Me Down" but
also to see if the energy is real or just an illusion from too many
instruments being crammed together.
Details of Mantra's current tour and the "Shake Me Down EP" are
available at www.worldofmantra.com.
Reviewer: Jack Jarvis
June 2004
Mantra open the CD with a fast, funky and jazzy track called 'Shake Me Down', but
the second track, 'Forget to Breathe, is the complete opposite with a slowed down
sound almost creating a moving power ballad (notice the use of almost). The musical
talent displayed by both these young men is amazing, considering that between them they
play five instruments at high standard. The track 'Shake Me Down' leads the listener
into a false sense of 'funk' as the second track shows. Mantra, from listening to this CD
have two sides to their music, showing they cannot be categorised as 'another (*insert
favourite descrption here)'. Either a Funk/Soul music fan or an Indie one could love the
sound of their music, for me I will probably need to hear more from them before making
a final decision.