Manual’s (Jonak Munk) new Isares is filled with light electronic hiccups and dazzle. This 23 minute 4-track EP has a cover and titles that would reference Saturday Night Live‘s Jack Handy, but listen to the insides and you will see this is no Hallmark Card, rather an earful of pop infused, delightful electronica as heard on “A Familiar Place.” Things twang and strum in a lonesome way as “Stealing Through” brings the sizzle down to a blurry space. Still more style shift takes place on the more percussive “Wake” where there is a clash between the spirits of Queen and Opus III – remember “Its a Fine Day”? There is less edge here but the energy is seized with the inclusion of angelic vocal provided by Maja Maria. The eight minute-long “Horizon” concludes this sleeper affair with a treasure trove of gazelle-like motion and mystical anthemic rhythm.
