If you still haven’t heard of Christopher Browder’s indie project titled Mansions, you’re missing out on something extraordinary. Browder started the project over six years ago and has since released two albums and gained quite an impressive following. Ever since I listened to his second album, Dig Up the Dead, over a year ago, I’ve been anticipating the moment that I could get my hands on new Mansions material – and now that wait has finally come to a much needed end. Recently, Mansions added member Robin Dove to its lineup as well and geared up to release a new album. On November 12, Mansions released its third album, Doom Loop, under Clifton Motel Records, and I have to say that the wait was worth it. The first song, “Climbers,” blows you away from the start with the initial guitar riff. The first thing that I noticed was the overall actual tone of the album. Everything, and I mean everything, has a good amount of distortion added to it; the guitars, vocals and (especially) the bass are loaded with distortion. Browder has kept his signature poppy rock sound from his last album and improved upon it to get an even better sound. The second track, “Flowers in My Teeth,” takes it down a step with the tempo, yet keeps the distorted sound to create an almost 90s grunge vibe. Browder’s unique voice has been a main attraction for people to Mansions. He has found a perfect range that suits him well and that is comfortable, and he doesn’t try to stray beyond his boundaries. Dove throws in some additional vocals on songs such as “Two Suits” and “Last One In,” and her voice compliments Browder’s nicely when they harmonize. Each song is guaranteed to have that catchy hook that will have me singing along to it well after the album has ended. Another thing that never ceases to impress me is Browder’s lyrics.
While it may not be the best, in my opinion, Mansions has still created a solid third album. There are a few songs that don’t live up to the expectations that I had going in, but most of them are exactly what I was hoping for. The highlight tracks of the album are “Climbers,” “The Economist” and “100 Degrees.” No matter what kind of genre of music that you are into, I strongly believe that Doom Loop is worth a listen.
