Mamareeko S. Bench
From Intelligent Shit Music
Contents |
An Explanation
Mamareeko S. Bench is Schlock's main ISM band. Arriving late to the ISM collective Mamareeko shunned the 'sound recorder' ethic of most early ISM and instead drew on his experience creating electornic music under the moniker Gorro in order to make something a 'little more polished'. Across 3 records Mamareeko explored all manner of genres in an ISM manner.
The first release, Lost in the Woods of Wet Slewtopia was perhaps the purest ISM that Bench ever managed. Farmer's Field was the standout track and became something of an albatross around Bench's neck, any new work being greeted by a chorus of comments that it simply didn't match Farmer's Field.
For the second release, God is Making Pies Out of All of You Mamareeko attempted to veer more towards the narrative element of the music recording more 'proper' songs, with lyrics and vocals and quite simple pop arrangments, all with an ISM twist. Mamareeko was unhappy with the results though, and it was not recieved with the enthusiasm of Wet Slewtopia
For many the final party of the Slewtopia trilogy, Mamareeko S. Bench Vs. The Combined Forces of the Eastern Bloc is seen as the definitive Bench record. Far more song-oriented than even Pies, the record is one of the most succesful attempts to move ISM into the mainstream. Bench's site crashed from a flood of downloads upon the record's release and was threatened with legal action from 'the man'. The website has never recovered. Around this time and in an effort to seperate the record from 'pure' ISM, Schlock coined the term PRISM.
Attempts to follow up the third record have proved fruitless so far. Mamareeko has announced two records since the completion of Eastern Bloc. The first, The 60 Lives and 61 deaths of Mamareeko S. Bench, billed as 'the first ISM opera' has yet to see the light of day, and it's status is unknown.
The second attempt at a follow up was a much less ambitious project and fell back on the Wet Slewtopia name, promising to start a prequel trilogy with a prequel to this trilogy, EP 0 (EP) Forgive Me, I'm Ovulating EP. This EP is reported to have been finished and several tracks have surfaced in the public domain. An official release has not, as yet, happened, with Mamareeko claiming the record is 'crap'.
In May 2006 Mamareeko resurfaced in the ISM scene, talking at length in the main Atease ISM thread about the flaws of the attempted follow-ups and his desires to finally record a new record.
Finally, at the very end of July 2006, Mamareeko released his fourth release, the longest and most accomplished to date, Thus Spake Mamareeko.
Bench remained inactive through much of 2007, finally resurfacing with new middle initial X. on the compilation record Dark & Moist:Ample Samples. It is hoped that another record will follow shortly, although it's fair to say absolutely nobody is holding their breath.
As 2007 draws to a close, Bench followed through on the promise of the fifth Mamareeko record, first launching a companion EP, Va: The Considerately Concise Reintroduction to the peoples of Wet Slewtopia followed by the fifth album proper, V: The Meandering Notes of Men in Goats. A second companion EP, Vb: Lauwiliwilinukunukuoioi, is set to follow shortly after, making this by far the most productive year for Bench yet.
2008 proved a quiet year for Bench releases, although he was busy behind the scenes helping others, with the gifted away record Zombie Incognito, and mostly with time spent producing Recut the '60s debut LP.
Throughout the latter half of the year, and indeed all through 2009 (and 2010!) Bench was focussed on The Second Life of Fidel Castro, a record so bloated and out of control it no longer fits under the Mamareeko umbrella.
Eventually, in the spring of 2010, Bench resurfaced with a new release Rhonda Peril Borderman. Marking a familiar yet fresh new direction, the album is one of two albums Bench has in the works. The second, the more traditional The Derelicition and Resurrection of Mamareeko X. Bench whilst half written is sitting around waiting for the notoriously fickle Bench to change his mind again.
Criticism
Briefly the ISM darling following the release of Lost in the Woods of Wet Slewtopia, Bench was eventually to split the ISM community. It is fair to say that the ISM community did not embrace Mamareeko S. Bench vs. The Combined Forces of the Eastern Bloc as warmly as the general public. Bench was seen to have sold out and to have lost sight of what ISM actually was. Mr. Pink remarked that 'you need to get WORSE cos you were too good for ISM', and Hoodlum famously damning the mainstream direction of the record: 'The masses will surely love the stuff posted here, but H.C. and other diehard true ISM artists are not going to get such recognition, for being too avant-garde for most.'
Discography
- Lost in the Woods of Wet Slewtopia (2004)
- God is Making Pies Out of All of You (2005)
- Mamareeko S. Bench Vs. The Combined Forces of the Eastern Bloc (2005)
- Thus Spake Mamareeko (2006)
- V: The Meandering Notes of Men in Goats (2007)
- Va: The Considerately Concise Reintroduction to the peoples of Wet Slewtopia (2007)
- Vb: Lauwiliwilinukunukuoioi (2007)
- Vc: When All Is Said And Done (2007)
- Rhonda Peril Borderman (2010)
Compilations
- Dark & Moist:Ample Samples (2007) (With others)
- Yo Stanz, Where's your head at man? The blurst of Mamareeko X. Bench (2008)
- The Incredible Story of Mamareeko X. Bench (2008)
