Pitchfork

Photo by Andreas Frøland

It's been a hot minute since we last heard much from Serena-Maneesh, who wowed the Pitchfork fold with their self-titled offering back in 2005. And those looking to this piece for news of fresh new jams from the Norwegian psych-gaze troupe may not find what they seek in these pages. Still, just as the television folks justify their endless parade of reruns, if you haven't heard it, it's new to you. And chances are you haven't heard much of SM Backwards, the band's upcoming release.

Come May 5, Smalltown Supersound will issue SM Backwards, a double CD/LP featuring a glut of rare tracks that predate the eponymous debut. Though much of this material has been released in Norway (on the Fixxations and Zurück EPs), none of it has made it past the border in any non-import form. And "Death Parade, Slow" has never been heard outside of the band! The set also includes video clips for "Drive Me Home the Lonely Nights" and "Degenerate".

The band has a single gig in the works, scheduled for February 23 at Oslo's SubScene.

SM Backwards:

Disc one: Fixxations:

01 Drive Me Home the Lonely Nights
02 Hear Bleed Philharmonic
03 Blues Like Beehive II
04 Oxygene, Please!
05 Drive Me Home the Lonely Nights (Original Mix)
06 Blues Like Beehive (Original Mix)
07 Ballad of Jezebel (Original Mix)
08 Hear Bleed Philharmonic (Original Mix)
09 Oxygene, Please! (Original Vinyl Dark Side Mix)

Disc two: Zurück:

01 Sehnsucht/Drag Me Upstairs (NJ Recreation Room Mix)
02 Death Parade, Slow
03 Leipziger Love Life (Ancient Mix)
04 Introspection (Original Mix)
05 Leipziger Love (Original Mix)
06 Degenerate (Edit Original Mix)
07 Sehnsucht/Drag Me Upstairs (Original Mix)
08 Never (Edit Original Mix)