Manticore

by Shovels & Rope

Overview

Shovels & Rope wrote the material for Manticore prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but the experience of being in an extended lockdown mode allowed the duo to reshape the sound and feel of the record. Originally, Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst intended Manticore to be an acoustic-based record, something not quite as visceral as their previous albums, serving as a counterpoint to the vivid, adventurous By Blood in particular. While it carries a sense of intimacy, the finished album is hardly acoustic: it's filled with overdubbed vocal harmonies, keyboard coloring, and interwoven guitars -- instruments that broaden and deepen Shovels & Rope's attack. The duo deploy this aural expansion on a collection of slow, brooding songs, tunes that reveal their acoustic origins in their deliberate pace. The sense of low-key but heightened melodrama can be alluring thanks to the open-ended arrangements, yet much of Manticore unfolds at a crawl, so it feels much less visceral than previous Shovels & Rope albums even if it has a greater emotional range. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	02/18/2022
Label:	Dualtone Music
UPC:	0803020236912
Rank:	26502

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Shovels & Rope   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Dave McNair   Mastering
Michael Trent   Producer
Andy Dixon   Mixing