Anyone still in thrall to the Manx’s 2000 debut may balk at certain moments here. Sure, the thickly atmospheric glaze of psych-folk and keyboard drone are still here, but they’re kicking their heels?if not exactly rocking out?with a little country, some Beatlesy buzz and indie strum. Trouble is, it doesn’t always pan out. They’re far more at ease among the textural folds of the dark “Dinner Bell” (with its late-Floyd undertow) or the softly spinning “Pinstripes”. Banjo-flecked closer “Fixed Bayonets”, however, is up here with their best.
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