Album Details

• Artist: Wax Mannequin
• Album: No Safe Home
• Label:
• Year of Release: 2012
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: tosnob on 2012-09-07

Unlike the vast majority of folk artists, Wax Mannequin never bores.

The record kicks off with the rustic, almost fireside folk of "Black Bells" (later revisiting in an instrumental form). On that song he creates a feeling of loneliness, but a loneliness that is warm and cozy. That's in stark opposition to the desolate, wintry "Other Part".

Entering the realm of creepy is "Beware". The eerie feeling is in keeping with the best of American Gothic murder balladry.

Few musicians get as much mileage out of a simple whistle as Wax Mannequin. On tracks like "The Water" and "Body Black Body White" it's the whistle that provides the melody that sucks you into the cogs of the clockwork guitar strum. He attains a similar effect with the catchy backing vocals on "Bison".

The album's highlight is the closing number "PB". Apparently standing for 'power blaster', Wax Mannequin creates an Absurdist folk ditty, filled with gibberish and a singalong refrain that equals anything produced by Mellow Gold-era Beck.

It's impossible to explain why some musicians catch fire and others, seemingly more worthy ones don't. Why is the bland, droning Bon Iver a phenomenon when the eloquently, creative, entertaining Wax Mannequin toils in near obscurity? Some things just remain a mystery.

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