Since Serena-Maneesh dropped their critically drooled upon self-titled debut back in 2005, little new noise has stemmed from these psych-loving shoegazers. But come May 5, the Norwegian outfit will drop a little something-something to whet fans appetites. Titled SM Backwards, the release is not a new full-length, but rather a collection of import-only rarities, which, for North American audiences, means all these sounds should be kind of new.
The double CD/vinyl collection is culled from Serena-Maneeshs early material between 1999 and 2003 and includes the much sought-after Norway-only EPs Fixxations and Zurück. The unreleased "Death Parade, Slow" also pops up on the release, as well as some video clips for "Drive Me Home the Lonely Nights" and "Degenerate" (well, if you buy the CD) and several hard-to-find mixes of tracks.
Here is how Serena-Maneeshs Emil Nikolaisen describes SM Backwards: "What started as a little collection of basement sessions from around town, previously just released as two single EPs domestically or as import only, kinda really got out of control, digging out the old reels with mixes and different versions Compiling it all, we really went overboard and it got ridiculous, the liner notes coming out even more pretentious. Just like we like it.
"Embracing the S-M universe with pieces, fragments, failure and treasure hand in hand, all the scattered ideas from even pre-Serena moniker time, pointing to what later came to be the mad little rat scene that is today. Just as much as capturing the way up till now, it re-evokes all the crazy moments of this time. (Not bad for a guy who speaks English as a second language.)
As far as new material goes, on the bands website they confirm they are indeed working on a new studio album, but give no more details than that.
Here is the tracklisting for SM Backwards, which is due out via Smalltown Supersound May 5:
Disc one:
1 Drive Me Home the Lonely Nights (mixed by Kramer at Noise Miami)
2 Hear Bleed Philharmonic
3 Blues Like Beehive II
4 Oxygene, Please!
5 Drive Me Home the Lonely Nights (Original Mix)
6 Blues Like Beehive (Original Mix)
7 Ballad of Jezebel (Original Mix)
8 Hear Bleed Philharmonic (Original Mix)
9 Oxygene, Please! (Original Vinyl Dark Side Mix)
Disc two:
1 Sehnsucht/Drag Me Upstairs (NJ Recreation Room Mix)
2 Death Parade, Slow
3 Leipziger Love Life (Ancient Mix)
4 Introspection (Original Mix)
5 Leipziger Love (Original Mix)
6 Degenerate (Edit Original Mix)
7 Sehnsucht/Drag Me Upstairs (Original Mix)
8 Never (Edit Original Mix)
Serena-Maneesh "Sapphire Eyes
:
The double CD/vinyl collection is culled from Serena-Maneeshs early material between 1999 and 2003 and includes the much sought-after Norway-only EPs Fixxations and Zurück. The unreleased "Death Parade, Slow" also pops up on the release, as well as some video clips for "Drive Me Home the Lonely Nights" and "Degenerate" (well, if you buy the CD) and several hard-to-find mixes of tracks.
Here is how Serena-Maneeshs Emil Nikolaisen describes SM Backwards: "What started as a little collection of basement sessions from around town, previously just released as two single EPs domestically or as import only, kinda really got out of control, digging out the old reels with mixes and different versions Compiling it all, we really went overboard and it got ridiculous, the liner notes coming out even more pretentious. Just like we like it.
"Embracing the S-M universe with pieces, fragments, failure and treasure hand in hand, all the scattered ideas from even pre-Serena moniker time, pointing to what later came to be the mad little rat scene that is today. Just as much as capturing the way up till now, it re-evokes all the crazy moments of this time. (Not bad for a guy who speaks English as a second language.)
As far as new material goes, on the bands website they confirm they are indeed working on a new studio album, but give no more details than that.
Here is the tracklisting for SM Backwards, which is due out via Smalltown Supersound May 5:
Disc one:
1 Drive Me Home the Lonely Nights (mixed by Kramer at Noise Miami)
2 Hear Bleed Philharmonic
3 Blues Like Beehive II
4 Oxygene, Please!
5 Drive Me Home the Lonely Nights (Original Mix)
6 Blues Like Beehive (Original Mix)
7 Ballad of Jezebel (Original Mix)
8 Hear Bleed Philharmonic (Original Mix)
9 Oxygene, Please! (Original Vinyl Dark Side Mix)
Disc two:
1 Sehnsucht/Drag Me Upstairs (NJ Recreation Room Mix)
2 Death Parade, Slow
3 Leipziger Love Life (Ancient Mix)
4 Introspection (Original Mix)
5 Leipziger Love (Original Mix)
6 Degenerate (Edit Original Mix)
7 Sehnsucht/Drag Me Upstairs (Original Mix)
8 Never (Edit Original Mix)
Serena-Maneesh "Sapphire Eyes
: