September 7, 1998 by A.S. Van Dorston

Despite the typical hyperbole from the British press, Mansun seemed destined to be an also-ran second wave Britpop band, forever enamored by the glam and drama of early Suede and Manic Street Preachers. After releasing the well-received yet not quite extraordinary Attack of the Grey Lantern (1997) they hit a roll by releasing over 40 non-album tracks on various EPs. Such prolific ambition has rewarded listeners with an expanded sonic palate, adding Primal Scream, Talking Heads, Duran Duran, Joy Division, Captain Beefheart to their typical Beatles-Bowie-Floyd influences.

Officially just their second album, Six has many parts flowing together in such a way that you sometimes have to check the CD player to see if you’re still on the same song. The first few songs sound more or less like proper Britpop. Then the acid kicks in, and the pastiche of sound bites threaten to collapse into a mess of samples, guitars and drugged-out haze. Instead, it’s the most captivating half of the album. “Fall Out” brilliantly incorporates Tchaikovsky’s Sugar Plum Fairy. Outrageous lyrics revisit the panic and paranoia of teenage angst, exemplified by bandleader Paul Draper’s trauma of a Catholic upbringing in “I’m emotionally raped by Jesus/But I’m still here” on the epic “Cancer,” Mansun’s own “Bohemian Rhapsody.” It starts with riffs straight from Blue Oyster Cult and switches between grandiose orchestral statements and a recurring delicate melody, eventually settling in the ninth minute into a liquid sugar buzz of vocal harmonies.

The last track, and their first single, “Being A Girl” startles with a sprightly, choppy guitar straight from The Police before leaving behind their predecessors and competitors in a flight of fancy. Named after the character in the 60s TV series The Prisoner, Six is a captivating album that reveals Mansun’s potential of being able to stand next to superstars like Radiohead and Verve and not sound too shabby.

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