Frantic Mantis "Data is Not Information" (Lujo)
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Thursday. Sep 29, 12:02 AM
"Datapunk" side project with mutation in mind.

Frantic Mantis is a project between members of Decahedron and Division Of Laura Lee. Self-dubbing their music “datapunk,” the band have come up with an album that attempts to stretch the definition of what modern “punk” music should sound like.

Upon first listens, Trans Am and Fugazi kept coming to mind. There's a Dischord / DC spirit to the whole thing, and these references aren't accidental either, as Trans Am producer Jonathan Krienik and The Cassettes’ Stephen Guidry both had their hands in the making of this album.

In a nutshell, a lot of the tracks sound like ‘90s-era Dischord bands colliding with electronica. This would be fine if the band were consistent with it. But that might be a part of the point they are trying to make: in an age where the term “punk” is embraced by shopping malls and large corporations, you kind of wish that kids would be paying attention to music like Frantic Mantis, who are clearly not lost on the initial punk ideal of going against the norm, spitting in the face of formulas, and taking their music in any goddamn direction they please.

This all looks good on paper, but does it work? Sometimes. I did spend a lot of moments being reminded of other bands. “Obsessive Online Community Drones” stays very Fugazi-esque, and opener “Creation Sickness” would sound at home on a number of Touch and Go records. “The Brooding Polychromes of an Almost Unthinkably Advanced Decay” is pure Aphex Twin. True to the band's aesthetics, they try to push the music in any direction they can. But does that mean it should go in EVERY direction? It’s performed well, but the most effective tracks are the ones where the styles mesh the most. Not that the album is all over the place, but it's hard to get behind a band that can't seem to get behind a particular direction. The album is largely either/or Dischord or electronic. When the band successfully straddles this line, as in “Soundlurkers” and “Glappkontakt,” you really get the feeling that the two worlds are being fused into something original. After experiencing these tracks, the rest of the album seemed underdeveloped.

I’d recommend it for Frodus, Decahedron, and/or Division Of Laura Lee fans who are curious to see what this collaboration sounds like. But past that, you’re not getting a whole lot that you haven’t heard before. Hopefully, their future efforts will sound more realized.
www.franticmantis.com
www.lujorecords.com

Jason Smith

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