Described as the alter-ego of Massachusetts-based producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Nate Mondschein, Best Mann works at the intersection of a number of genres. The narrative base of his writing undoubtedly comes from the folk tradition, though this is supported by art rock sensibilities and sometimes even hip hop influences too, making for a detailed, inventive sound that manages to provide both groove and emotional intensity.
Entirely self-produced and performed, the debut Best Mann album …And The Sky shows how impactful such a blend can be. The record was formed in the aftermath of the death of a friend and bandmate, an attempt to honour her memory and confront the grief of such a loss, and Mondschein uses his array of influences to form a sound that is up to the task.
Emerging from a curtain of sheer ambient swirls, the introduction ‘Dipper’ bleeds into ‘MCO’ and sets the warm, atmospheric tone. There are comparisons to be drawn to Volcano Choir here, intricate art pop sounds woven into humane shapes, practicing experimentation and complexity not as some superficial aesthetic choice but rather in an attempt to map sensations that are otherwise impossible to elucidate. “Now that you mention, I’m not sure I even know where to start,” Mondschein sings, mourning curdling memories into dense ball.
Here is the room, we stained the walls
Here is the street after darkHere is the ending
So much quieter than I would’ve thought.
The previous track fading out to sparkling keys, the Dirty Projectors-esque ‘Hudson // Holland’ arrives with a jagged, stumbling sound, the uncertainty of Mondschein’s lyrics extending into the very fabric of the track. The result is one of tension, the listener cast directly into instability of Mondschein’s headspace as he wrestles with memories amid a consuming grief. Still, his vocals remain earnest and heartfelt, and though track never achieves a real sense of balance, the groove stabilises somewhat, as though by diving into the confusion some answer or consolation might be salvaged, some equilibrium regained.
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After the soaring folk rock of ‘MST’ and the pitter patter pop of ‘On the Line’, ‘Modern Love’ presents an almost conversational tone set atop a sparking, shimmering backdrop. Around the halfway point this coalesces into rich climax, channeling the likes of Typhoon in its ability to present something so uplifting as to almost become transcendent. “Just believe, tomorrow bends to not alone,” Mondschein sings, “Just believe, on the other side there’s something more.”
The transition into ‘Like a Knife’ is seamless, reinforcing the record’s cohesive form. This is a proper album, one to be played front to back, the artistry of the writing and composition possessing a macro-level dimension in the shape and order of the tracks. The achievement is all the more impressive considering the stylistic variety across the record, like how the laid-back folk pop of ‘LittleHeart’ can segue into the ebullient bounce of ‘Gold’.
The closing pair of tracks represent two of the most direct and evocative songs on the record, confronting death in all its elemental force. “And the sky broke, and the earth shook,” Mondschein notes on the title track, “and the trees fell, and the birds left, and even if they hadn’t / I still would’ve know you were / gone.” Strung up between the disbelief that life continues in the aftermath of loss and the disgrace that we allow it to, the song is a nuanced take on grief—grief in all of its mystery and mundanity—and the closer ‘Must Be Wrong’ pushes this into a fierce, majestic, finale fitting of an album that is carved from the bare rock of human experience.
Still I’m waking up beside the love she said I’d find
Still I go to work without her running through my mind
Still I keep on breathing, I’m not empty all the time—
This must be wrong
Tell me how can it not be wrong
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…And The Sky is out now and available from the Best Mann Bandcamp page.
Photos by Georgia Teensma