Kevin’s Town
Catching Mangoes
30th July saw the release of one of my most anticipated albums of 2021. Since first hearing their debut release ‘1963’ earlier this year, Catching Mangoes have hooked me in. Not only was it a track that stood out in its embracing of old school rock ’n’ roll but it was the first sample of an epic tale. Even with this small sampling I was hooked into the concept behind its conception. So with each release after that the band effortlessly began to build a world that I could not wait to sink my teeth into.
‘Kevin’s Town’ is an album that is rarely heard nowadays in this world of playlisting, a narrative concept album. While most artists favour a theme or one particular subject matter to build a concept around Catching Mangoes took it a step further and created a world. Weaving the tale of a young mans search for the truth about his father and the mystery surrounding his own little town, a story worthy of Terry Pratchett or Tim Burton, the band have created an album that is overflowing with personality.
From its core building blocks of blues and old school rock ’n’ roll the band embellish each track with its own unique element, fully giving the impression of chapters in a book. From the indie rock of it’s title track to the cheery acapella of ‘Dinkum Fair’ the band have allowed each thread of the tale to lead the way when composing the songs. This is especially notable in the tracks ‘Bloom Orlando’ which describes a bit of a suave ladies man and so carries a bit of a latin groove to the whole thing and in ‘Whispers from Woden’ which takes on a heavier alt rock vibe that fully embodies the dramatic nature of the song and highlights the penultimate nature of it at the same time. I won’t spoil the details of the story, you’ll have to listen to it.
With this fluid nature of writing the song and storyline the band have managed to create a fun tale that packs a dramatic punch and keeps you ‘hanging on’ (a joke you’ll understand once you’ve listened to the album). Each track is like a puzzle piece describing this epic however has the distinction to be able to be heard separately from its fellows and stand alone as a one off. A feet that not many concept albums can achieve, at least not without giving the context first. So in a way, they’re all little short stories in and of themselves.
Overall, Catching Mangoes gave themselves a mighty task in creating their debut album as a concept album but have pulled it off masterfully. Not only have they brought my imagination to life through their compositions and lyrics, they have also fully realised their concept through the publication of a book on their website that accompanies the release. So I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely thinking….sequel?
Journey into Kevin’s Town
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