Having previously recorded three albums under the guise of
Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly, in a rather transparent attempt to avoid being "lumped in with other acoustic singer/songwriters," South End troubadour
Sam Duckworth appears to have had a change of his heart with his first release under his own name,
The Mannequin. Self-described as an attempt to "capture the late night lucid space of traveling thoughts," it's clear that the slight air of pretentiousness that pervaded his previous over-earnest folk-pop sound hasn't disappeared along with his Batman-inspired moniker. However, by ditching the sometimes clumsy eclecticism of his disappointing self-titled prior effort, its nine tracks show that
Duckworth is, for the most part, a changed man. Indeed, there aren't any collaborations with drum‘n'bass revivalists or any Madchester homages to be found here; other than the disjointed, processed beats on the ethereal Americana of "The Farmer," his laptop-created sound has been abandoned for a much simpler and effective, stripped-back acoustic vibe, which admittedly fulfills his nocturnal ambitions. The glacial guitar hooks and hushed, ghostly melodies of "The Miracle of Science" and "Clementine" are both eerie yet soothing alternative lullabies which show little trace of the sullen demeanor which made his previous records difficult to warm to; the gentle and yearning fingerpicking of "18 to 1," a nostalgic account of his Essex hometown, and the beautifully delicate "Angels in the Snow," which deals with the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster, showcase the poetic delivery which helped his debut attract so much attention. While there are convincing attempts at languid alt-country on the six-minute closer "8888," and reverb-laden grunge on the slightly sinister "Crane Song (The Wall)," it's the lo-fi "Nights," an early-'90s-inspired slice of shoegazing indie pop full of twisting guitar riffs, ominous piano chords, and brooding rhythms, which provides the highlight, a sign which suggests that
Duckworth needn't eschew the more expansive full-band sound should he still want to pursue the album's understated nature in the future. Ironically, the more conventional name change seems to have inspired the piece of work most likely to set him apart from the contemporaries he was so keen to distance himself from. ~ Jon O'Brien