Manuok

Manuok is the solo moniker of Scott Mercado, who devotes most of his time to Via Satellite, the San Diego-based band that has recently released its excellent debut, Cities are Temples. Somehow, Mercado also found time to write and record his own superb debut album at the same time, and it's as innovative and fresh as his work with Via Satellite.

A former Lit major, Mercado is quite deft at turning a meaningful phrase, but his music is so strong that he could probably sing his grocery list and still move you. Lyrically, his compositions inhabit a dark corner of the psyche, and there's a palatable sadness that permeates most of the album. I keep thinking of the Ricky Fitts character in American Beauty, who says that sometimes there's so much beauty in the world that it's like he just can't take it, and feels as if his heart will just explode. I get the same sense from Mercado's songs. I think he feels things so deeply that they're just born with a natural heaviness of heart. He's not wallowing in it, just communicating it. Manuok has an orchestral feel, a majestic-ness that is clearly operating on another level without ever becoming pompous or bombastic. Closing track "All Said and Done" is quite simply one of the most gorgeous tracks ever to close an album. With its jazz-like chord structure and arrangement, it leaves you feeling as if you floated into another reality. This is indie music for grown-ups, and it's out to break your heart. If it doesn't explode first. - Mark Horan, Pop Matters

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