Manatee Commune – Carried Away (feat. Allie Crystal) Review

Album: Carried Away – Single

Artist: Manatee Commune

Genre: #RPM

Sub-genre: #Dancepop

Label: Bastard Jazz Recordings

Non-Airable Tracks: NONE

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a good dance-pop song every now and then. However, since hip-hop songs are still dominating the charts and very few EDM artists can score a hit nowadays, I think it’s time to admit that the dance-pop era is coming to an end. Since most dance-pop songs fall back on cutesy lyrics about finding love or experiencing heartbreak, this does not leave that much space for lyrical creativity, and most of the creative force is focused on the instrumentals instead. Unfortunately, Manatee Commune’s “Carried Away” is no exception.

The song opens up with some light piano chords, blips, and drones to create a dreamy atmosphere. Guest singer Allie Crystal then sings about her relationship issues, not knowing where she’s at, and realizing that her relationship may not be working. After a large buildup created by bright synths, the chorus begins with plucky basses that cut through and dissolve the dreamy atmosphere. The basses effectively create a sense of empty space, as if snapping the listener back into reality, followed with reflective lyrics from Crystal. However, the lyrics throughout the chorus, as well as most of the song, sound like they were hand picked from more superior dance tracks (ie. Röyksopp and Robyn’s “Do It Again”). The vocals also sound choppy at various points in the track, so your mind can’t focus on this song without thinking about another one. After the chorus, Mannatee Commune brings back the same instrumental from the beginning, while also adding some pretty, bright strings. The second chorus also throws in some new synths to add a little more complexity, which make up for the lyrics. Both of these instrumentals mix during the bridge and they do so very well. However, the same thing can’t be said for the vocals, which don’t add any new information or reach a grand realization.

Overall,”Carried Away” is a good effort from Manatee Commune in terms of music. The atmospheres mix very well, the instrumentation is fairly complex and seems to fit the message of the lyrics, even if they sound processed.

6/10

Sounds Like: Giraffage, Sun Glitters, Kodak To Graph

Reviewer’s Name: Nick Ramos

Date Reviewed: 02/05/2019