Manhatten - Is This What You Wanted?

Album Art by Becky Oakley

Review by Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

Manhatten's Is This What You Wanted? trembles with deep emotion as it tells a dramatic, pained tale through layered synth sounds, Mayah Camara’s powerful vocal performance and an atmosphere that hurts and hopes. This album further intensifies Manhatten’s unique approach to synth-based music.

All of the many synth sounds on Is This What You Wanted? imbue the music with a tender, pained and emotional quality. There are sparkling synths full of coruscating light, smoothly gliding synths like liquid chocolate and jazz organ-like sounds with a suffusing glow. Along with solid bass and clean drums, the overall effect captures the emotional tenor of the album’s concept.

Mayah Camara is one of the most soulful, expressive singers on the synth scene right now and her work on Is This What You Wanted? captures the feelings that permeate the album. Her mixture of emotion and vocal range deepens the melancholy atmosphere that radiates from the music. I feel that she was an excellent addition to the album.

The drama, intensity and sweeping feelings of the album’s atmosphere suit the thematic approach that Manhattan has taken to the music. All of the elements pour out high levels of feeling and capture me with the heightened passion that permeates every part of the album. I find the end result deeply engaging.

My Favourite Tracks Analyzed

“Is This What You Wanted?” comes to life as shimmering arpeggios twirl easily through softly sailing background sounds. Solid, actively moving bass pulses with rich depth underneath the rippling arpeggios. A wind sweeps through as steady kick drum and bursting snare move in.

Ethereal, open synth carries a serene melody above dancing arpeggios and guiding drums. Medium-high, flashing synth carries a melody beautifully mingling longing and tenderness while the bursting drums shape the track. Light arpeggios continue to intertwine above rebounding bass and lush sounds swelling in the background.

Gleaming chimes delicately float through the music. Drums add strength and bass keeps the track moving as the trailing chimes move with ease. Broad, shining synth trumpets out with wistful, caressing tendrils while hollow pipes glide and bass rebounds. The track ends with a shocking gunshot.

A smooth radio announcer on a late night call in show talks about “You Know Who” and what she’s abut to do to Mr X as “Tellin’ Lies” commences. Splashing snare drum hits hard along with solidly pulsating bass in a groovy beat.

Mayah Camara’s vocal is gliding and a little distorted as it comes in. The vocal melodypleasingly mingles energy, passion and pain as chimes sparkle around it and the drumbeat and dense bass propels the music. Mayah Camara’s voice has a broad range and strong expression as the hurting melody slips through.

Drums groove in, driving the music on, along with dynamic bass. Chimes shine out in fragile lines above Mayah Camara’s emotional singing. Now the chimes drift with twinkling ease above steadily pulsating drums and bass. The song ends with silky vocals flowing out.

“You've broken the foundation of this thing we tried to build” captures the narrator’s feelings about the broken relationship in the song. She says it’s like a house of cards and she is frustrated and unfulfilled, adding that "it's just not meant to be so hard.”

The storyteller tells the other person she’s in love with them and that there’s “no one above you. She has that person on her mind all the time.  Now she asks them not to lie to her because she needs them, loves to please them and won’t leave. She concludes, “I don't believe the things you're saying. Why do you lie to me?”

Her “patience for this show” is running thin and she tells the song’s subject that they’re wasting her time. She feels that “you've gone so low, I hardly know.” She points out that she’s not about to take the other person lying to her which is where they made their mistake. With disgust, she talks about the disgrace of how “you tried to erase the evidence of her in my place.”

Now the narrator is going to show the song’s subject the door because “I've taken as much as I can endure.” She wonders what this person takes her for and ends the song by asking “How could you look me in the eye, and feed me with these lies?”

“Suzi (Been Dreamin’ Of Your Lovin’ Lately)” starts off as tender, slowly growing synths slide in above a distinctively bouncing drumbeat and rich bass. Gliding and enfolding sounds shift above rebounding drums and pulsing bass. Now fragile, glittering chimes delicately trace through the music.

Crystalline synth sparkles broadly above reverberant bass and snapping percussion. Twinkling, starry synth flickers above deep drums and solidly underpinning bass.  I enjoy the way in with the elevated synth creates a tenuous and lightly touching feeling. Wide-sounding, intensely shining synth rises above bouncing drums in cascading lines.

High above the other sounds, a gentle glow gleams from raised synth as tranquility pervades the music.Clapping percussion adds shape below gossamer synth, shivering with soothing melancholy. The track ends on bell-like jazz organ and delicate chimes over lush bass.

A classic retrowave drumbeat comes from behind a door and as the door opens “A Lover & A Beauty Queen” begins. Punchy drums and a  bass oscillation underpin intermingling, medium high synth as it flies out. Rounded synth ripples in effortless arpeggios that create an excellent contrast with the wider synth's sharper edges.

Cutting, glittering synth dances above steadily moving drum and bass propulsion while tom hit drift by in the distance. Radiant lead synth is touched by warm strings that add a caressing feeling. Underneath it all, drums and bass guide the track as the flaring synths arc upward.

Quickly undulating, full-sounding synths trickle over bass drive and drum throb to touch the ears. The string section sings out with affection as glowing arpeggios whirl in the distance. Drums and bass end the track along with synth flares and trickling chimes.

“Answerphone” commences as an answering machine tape engages and mistily rolling synth breathes easily. Drums throb in easy going motion as distant, echoing synth softly carries a dreaming melody that’s full of longing.

Dense, serene synth chords add depth as they slide through the music. Open-voiced, rounded synth carries lightly brushing notes as gleaming jazz organ adds light. A subtle, pastel haze fills the background with a wonderfully calming feeling and a peaceful air.

Jazz organ with a clean brightness shifts above bass waves that add support. The voice message wanders and sweeping percussion adds more form to the ethereal sense of peace that permeates the track. Whistling synth creates an airy feeling, above the background’s pink clouds.

Distantly pulsing flowing synth moves before the sound of a rumbling engine opens “Drive Angry.” An easily moving drumbeat supports luscious, full-bodied jazz organ carrying cosmically drifting chords over undulating bass. Bursting drums give guidance above the oscillating bass pulse as the relaxing, easy-going melody flickers with a mournful element.

Bell-like jazz organ sound sails elegantly through the music with a soft glow. After a drum fill, there’s the sound of an old phone while choral voices echo. A deep voice is cut by a guitar crying out with an emotive melody, full of yearning and deeply felt ache. The track ends on unctuous organ and gentle choral sounds.

“Run Away (With You)” effectively washes my tension away as warmly chiming synth chords drift in. Mayah Camara’s strong but tender voice carries the expressive lyrics as shimmering chimes ring above the jazz organ. Pulsating bass shapes the music while the synth glows hazy lavender light. Raised notes sparkle as wide-sounding drums touch the song.

Jazz organ plays full and caressing chords while Mayah Camara emotes in her inimitable style.  Dense bass rebounds while chimes flit through the music. Mayah Camara has the ability to capture a wide variety of feelings in her touching voice. Percussion breaks through and ethereal high notes dance above the bass before the song ends.

Our storyteller talks about how the other person makes her want to "run away with you, stray with you, play with you and do the things that are wrong.” She adds that she wants to “turn up the heat with you” when they’re alone.

She recalls lazy warm days with the other person, saying that they are on her mind but “it's not right coz I'm with someone else.” Our narrator wants to be in another place with the object of her affection.

“You found a way under my skin” is what the storyteller says to the song’s subject, telling that person they made it past her defences so she “just went with the flow.” Now she feels that she should have said no since “now I wanna go to be with you.”

She has “caught feelings for you” and wishes she hadn’t fallen for that person. Her mind runs over with thoughts of them because “you make me wanna do the things that I shouldn't do, but it feels so good.”

Slowly spinning, metal-edged arpeggios whirl as sirens cry in the distance to kick off “Blues and Twos.” The arpeggios wind out and growing bass rumbles far away as very high, trembling synth carries a roaming melody full of hurt.

Dense waves of bright, broad synth wash behind it and solid bass rumbles as bells ring out. Rough-edged, medium-low synth slips in pained motion. I am drawn to the way in which the caressing arpeggios keep intertwining as the gruff sounds below mingle into a long flowing motion. Tentative, feathery synth cries out in the far distance and the sirens fade into quiet.

Conclusion

Is This What You Wanted? is full of intensity of emotion and rich tapestries of synth sound, mingled with impassioned singing and songwriting from Mayah Camara. The end result is a journey through an expressive tale of love and loss.