Thriftex #3 - MANTHYNG - LoveChild

ferday didn't even bought the album on bandcamp, and it's free.

Here in the land of Austex and spiders, we call them op-shops (which is “opportunity shop”, invented in ye olden days to give an air of respectability to thrifting). The lovely ferdaywife is an avid op-shopper, and so the assignment for #thriftex went to her, with the only instructions being “something you’ve never heard of”. I say, close enough.

Originally from Nelson, South Island NZ, in the early 90’s Stanley was in a group called World Gone Wild, playing upbeat The Cure inspired gothpop, and had a few minor hits in Oceania. He also ghostwrote for the ever-popular Kiwi rap group Double J and Twice the T, who also charted in Oceania in the late 80’s. He floated around the LGBT art and music scene on South Island, eventually becoming the main face of Queer Nation, a decade-long running TV show about being queer in Aotearoa, and now working as a house renovator in between making glitter and glue paintings of celebrities and the occasional Manthyng album.

Manthyng is Stanley and his mate DJ Stevolicious, with this album being their 2011 output that has sold one digital copy, to our good friend Big Ian, who may or may not be Scoops flatmate.

As for CD’s, this one was printed by DunedinMusic.com, who have released about 5 compilations of local artists and this album, as far as I can tell. It’s not a CDr but an actual disc, it wouldn’t surprise me to find out there were 100 or less prints made. As for the music, it’s so stuck in the 80’s it’s hard to imagine it came out in 2011. Manthyng is a terrible singer, though he clearly has passion for the project. There is only one particular standout track Star, which is one of the worst songs I’ve heard in years, and so notable. Otherwise, we have a mostly upbeat collection of enthusiastic pop songs made with Casio presets and held together by some gems like “13, 14, 15, 16 you’re the best I’ve ever seen” and “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious international shining star”.

It was interesting to stalk Mr. Manthyng, as he is somewhat of a local celebrity in his own right and reading Dunedin news articles about how he enjoys beading in his free time was an interesting way to spend a few hours while listening to the album, so I guess #thriftex was about the friends we made along the way after all. I hope he enjoys his years left as a small-town queer icon and continues to put out dubiously worthwhile albums on Bandcamp. 3/10