The Atlantic Manor

Failing By The Second

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Outsider D.I.Y that triumphs. Fans of the off-kilter sect will find a new Champion in THE ATLANTIC MANOR.

tracks

: 1 Failing By The Second
: 2 Every Thing Can Die Today
: 3 Lancaster
: 4 No One Cares About Your Reasons Why
: 5 Inside Of Your Heart
: 6 Strung Out Camp talk
: 7 Suicide Jockey
: 8 Jacks Death Scene
: 9 Broken Bones Heal

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Flourishing in obscurity and flying well below the indie-rock radar. THE ATLANTIC MANOR is the alias of one R. Sell. Born in the wake of the early 90's lo-fi explosion albums such as WHEN I AM A VIKING, THE HATE WE GET GOING, THE DESPERATE VIBE OF EMOTIONAL DEVASTATION, and FAILING BY THE SECOND exile the listener to a world of sorrow, isolation, turmoil and loss.

Minimalist dirges and stark fractured songs combined with traditional song craft, shardes of feedback and somber confessional lyrics have become a trademark. Fans of the off-kilter sect will find a new Champion in THE ATLANTIC MANOR. With each new release, R. Sell continues to carve his own unique niche within the underground community.

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FACE MAGAZINE "Failing By The Second"

Rick Sell, working under the title of Atlantic Manor, hits a new peak of self- effacing, brooding power, with his latest album, Failing by the Second. Using a simple arrangement of guitar, drums and subtle effects, Sell creates a haunting, ominous sound that entraps you, and forces you to bear witness to each one of his past transgressions.

He sounds very similar to two other tortured souls who delved on poignant, tragic observations of life-Elliot Smith, and Nick Drake. Replace Drake's delicate, English voice with a coarse, Southern croon, and Smith's wistful harmonies, with downtrodden guitar crescendos and you have Rick Sell. His guilt-ridden, indignant lyrics and painful, almost, shy vocals, evoke the memories of those great songwriters.

"Failing by the Second," the opening track on the album, sounds as if Sell's voice is coming from the bottom of a well, and the repetitive drum and guitar beat that plays above him make it seem as if he's trying to make you forget his presence. "Everything Can Die Today," is in the same milieu. A loathing song of remorse and regret, the track is fragmented and broken, fading in and out, with a child's voice a stark reminder of the song. The nursery rhyme being hummed by the kid in the tune sounds like it's being uttered by a ghost, and not some conscious-free adolescent.

"No one Cares about the Reasons Why," may be the most harrowing, and perhaps strongest cut on the album. Staring into an empty glass, Sell painfully mutters, "I wore you down/ And I made you pay/ I stuck around/ And you learned to hate." This type of candor and honesty are seldom heard in music today; a person who can confront himself with this type of vigor deserves to be commended for being so open.

The antipathy can turn a little to self-pity, which can be a little nagging. On, "Inside of your Heart," Sell places the blame on nameless others, something he doesn't normally do throughout the record. Sell's lyrics are the strongest when he is the one ponying up for the problems in his life, which makes the words all the more unique and powerful. Also, "Strung out Camp Talk," Sell's stab at more uptempo music (if that's possible on this album) falls a little flat and seems disjointed.

Those details are minor. Failing by the Second is a tour-de-force through every inner molecule of Sell's body. He holds nothing back, and his dreamy, nightmarish retrospection has been practiced by few before him. Hopefully, Sell can see the light at the end of the tunnel, something Elliot Smith and Nick Drake were unfortunately blind to.

BANDOPPLER MAGAZINE: "Failing By The Second"

"Make sure this CD finds a happy home," the back cover says. "If you don't like it, please give it away." Humble pragmatism and suggested charity aside, don't do that too quick. Attempting to describe this, or even an uncareful listen, may be deluding. This album has slow and subversive appeal, but it is genuinely appealing, sneaking up on you in the pressed din and anxious freedom of near-melodic quiet oblivion. It builds grandly, smacking you suddenly with existential crank rants like the two official closers, the sublime "Broken Bones Heal" and "Jacks Death Scene." But before that, R. Sell who-is-pretty-much-the-band delivers "Suicide Jockey," the best (and shortest) Joy D.-inspired basement lamentation since prime My Dad Is Dead (Baby's Got A Problem era). Sell has been doing this since the early 90s, and Failing By The Second is reminiscent of truly good indie cassettes inspired by the Op(tion) tape network of the mid-80s, when there were real rock and roll gems to be found -- very personal expressions, almost unheard by the banal minions of commerce. I imagine most reading this would be more turned on by the dirges ("Inside Of Your Heart" has a wonderful Fairport Convention drag to it), as they're more contemporaneous, but the balance and diversity with the bedroom abstraction is exceptional all ways around.

LEFT OFF THE DIAL "Failing By The Second"

Where to start with this one? I guess I'll start by saying this is not music for the masses. Failing by the Second" is not one of those albums that would catch everyone on the first listen; it just isn't that accessible. While this is not the perfect album for everyone, it is a dead-on ringer for a few. Rick Sells bleeds from his gut and creates smart, depressing music with his heart and head. The music itself is heartbreakingly gorgeous, but the vocals took a bit to warm up to; but it started making sense the more I listened to the full album. With his thin, shaky voice, he manages to reach inside you and bring that old feeling of loss and pain to the back of your throat. Even though you haven't experienced exactly what he sings about, you can completely understand and commiserate with him as he throws himself out there.

Sells describes this as his divorce album. So yes, it is quite emotional. As he came up with chord progressions and song ideas, he would map them out to this friend, Jorge, who would improv drum parts underneath. These sessions were recorded in Jorge's spare bedroom as they were born, sustaining a fresh, creative, spur-of-the-moment current.

The music is very minimal. It's sparse, droney, art-rock, created as an expressive outlet for Sells. He lays out sprawls of sonic washes, banged walls, punched and plucked guitars, lost strings and confused keys - all held down by a steady drumbeat. By recruiting a chilling, John Cale-style minimalism/experimentation and by slowing down to the dreary pace of the Black Heart Procession, very dirge-esque qualities are handed down to the album. Dark, simple melodies overtop repeated, lengthy phrases roll the album along very nicely without allowing each track to grow too monotonous.

To sum this up, it honestly took a second to get used to the album, but once I did, I found myself really appreciating it. It's a great example of an artist using his medium wisely, and hopefully effectively, to exorcise his demons and ease his nerves.

-Chaz Martenstein
7/26/04

1340MAG.COM: "Failing By The Second"

Wow, super-heavy stuff here. The Atlantic Manor plays moody, experimental pop music. There's not a song on here that's not haunting, in the best possible way. The unexpected shards of feedback and low drones play perfectly off the restless drumbeats to create a feeling of claustrophobia that serves the record extremely well.
Lyrically, the album plays out like thought processes. The phrases running into each other and circle around, much the same way that we tend to worry over small details in our own minds; not necessarily promoting thought, but slightly comforting in its' ability to keep us from thinking too much about precisely how we have failed. Unflinchingly brutal, harrowing, and completely unnerving, this is ultimately a beautiful album.

Key Song: "Failing By the Second"

Reviewed by: Rick Arnow

PLUG IN MUSIC "Failing By The Second"

From the moment you learn Atlantic Manor's "Failing by the Second" is an album which reflects Rick Sell's divorce, it is obvious the album will be sad and emotional (at least you hope so). The Atlantic Manor is Sell's project, a one man band reflecting a true indie spirit. The album was recorded lo-fi with songs simple and straight from the heart. Do not expect over produced epics, "Failing by the Second" is moping in tone and, with a couple exceptions, melodic in sound.

Focusing more on instrumentation, Sell's vocals only make an appearance on "Failing by the Second," consisting of a spacey tune over both distorted effects and simple clip-clapping. More melodic and almost up beat, Sell's tries to put things behind him ("But we can't talk and we'll never change/I know you feel the same") on "Every Thing Can Die Today," the song is highlighted with warmer female vocals on the end. With a slightly new age sort of feel, "No One Cares About Your Reasons Why" is endearing while "Inside Your Heart," starting slow, stands out with its reserved power.

Changing the sound, "Strung Out Camp Talk" is up tempo and rocking with a punk ethos and a wall of fuzzy distortion that is over nearly before it begins, in less than two minutes. Going from one extreme to another, "Suicide Jockey" builds slightly in volume from nearly inaudible with squealing distortion as Sell sings "He's kissing you/And he holds you tight/He says the things/I could never get right." Shaking you awake with a louder, up tempo song (with so many volume changes, "Failing by the Second" is not very earphone friendly), "Jacks Death Scene" has a surprisingly pleasant sound to it. "Sally was a troubled girl/She had a troubled mind/Jack could only toss and turn/In their coffin late at night," Sell sings in his interesting lyrics. Different for the album, "Broken Bones Heal" stands out as a simpler song that picks up in pace and adds more instruments; the song is short and well executed. The album's final song, a hidden track, is made up on a child and a man speaking over plinking piano.

"Failing by the Second" is emotionally touching, with enough moping songs to possibly bring you down. But it does not; there is the feeling of the light at the end of the tunnel somewhere. Musically dynamic to say the least, the songs range in speed, sound, idea and volume while remaining focused. Atlantic Manor proves indie rock, at the core, is not always flashy guitar licks and screaming vocals.

SPLENDIDEZINE: "Failing By The Second"

The Atlantic Manor is the brainchild of one Rick Sell, who has released three other albums under this moniker. Sell plays all of the instruments but the drums, which are adeptly handled by a couple of close friends. Sell's music, at least as far as Failing by the Second is concerned, focuses on stark, minimal guitar work with occasional keyboard embellishment. Through it all, Sell's unique vocals weave brooding tales of resignation. Opener "Failing by the Second" is an epic of sorts, with a dark, minor-chord guitar procession laying the foundation for squalls of electric guitar noise. By mid-song, though, this underlying theme has almost vanished, as layers of overdubbed percussion and a haunting picked electric guitar line follow a decidedly different rhythm over this persistent background. While it is by far the most experimental piece on the album, it is also quite pretty. Later in the disc, "No One Cares About Your Reasons Why" uses a variation on this main guitar chord progression to craft a slower, more methodical melody. This time around, the theme is played on acoustic guitar, with a mournful lead line. Sell repeatedly intones "good night my little ones / dream, dream, dream" as synths provide a droning layer of texture at the song's end.

While most of the disc's nine tracks (ignoring the hidden one at the album's end) favor a unique mix of psychedelia and folk music with minor country inflections, two heavier songs flaunt their rock orientation. "Jack's Death Scene" is a short and stunning number with a great lead guitar figure and a more uptempo rhythm. Make no mistake, though -- it's just as dark (if not more so) than the other material. "Strung Out Camp Talk", meanwhile, is the album's glaring weak point; its mood doesn't quite fit the somber tone that Sell has so carefully laid out up to this point.

The sticking point for most listeners will be Sell's vocals: his thick Southern drawl, and very nasal tone make his singing an acquired taste. That said, his performance is also extremely expressive and unique, with a slow-burning gravitas that greatly enhances the music.

Failing by the Second was recorded in Sell's home with no rehearsal, and accordingly, it has a raw, spontaneous feel. The production itself is excellent -- stripped down and intimate, but by no means muddy. Kudos, too, for the cover image, which is a great companion piece to the music. Next time around, though, perhaps more care should be taken with proofreading -- the numerical song listing on the back of the CD is totally out of sorts, and even the name of the record label appears to be misspelled. On an otherwise exemplary DIY release, such an oversight seems bewilderingly sloppy.

-- Garrett Splain

TINY MIX TAPES (www.tinymixtapes.com)

Failing by the Second

There is wretchedness in human emotion that can envelop you and completely take over your mental and physical state. Most emotions are a reactionary effect of a positive or negative influence, extracting a commonly similar or opposite reaction. The Atlantic Manor's new release, titled Failing by the Second, is a perfect human behaviour record. The history is simple; failed relationship leading to divorce. The Atlantic Manor is the outpour of Rick Sell, the mastermind behind the entire project. And by its lo-fi identity, Failing by the Second exemplifies a truly passionate and fiery adoration for unadorned creation.

This is a truly temperamental record. Song titles like "Every Thing Can Die Today," "Suicide Jockey," and "Broken Bones Heal" identify a struggling listen up ahead. Firstly, if you are completely happy with your life and you are having a wonderful day, stay away from this record. But if you are troubled by the mishaps of relationships, then this record is a recommended listen. The emotions of redemption are clearly evident and lead to unsolved questions on the entire record: "Is it my fault or is it yours?" "Did she have a cheating heart?" "Were we happy together?" Lyrics like "And we haven't laughed in weeks/ I suggest that I may be to blame" and "We used to dance so close/ All the girls would watch/ And it was beautiful/ So I Thought" epitomizes the inner struggles of a human being trying to cope with the difficulty of relations in this world. And the record completely analyzes these struggles to a climactic magnitude.

Nearly everyone has suffered a broken heart (if not, do yourself a favor and get your heart broken). Failing by the Second is the perfect record after such incidences. Unfortunately, it isn't a pleasurable listen for everyday life. Trust me, if you are happy with your life relations, please stay away from this record. It's too sad. - Wolfman

BURNING EMPTYNESS 'Failing By The Second"

You had these two records coming from the post on the same day and you had a dream on the same night. It's a dream. It's not unpleasant; in fact it's a rather nice dream, only very weird. You stand in the middle of a room that's divided in two. There's a brightly lit and coloured side and a rather dim black and white side and you're exactly in the middle so one side of your body's in colour and the other in black and white and you feel like you're acting in Pleasantville. You have this feeling you often have you don't have any true friends. From both sides comes music. Lofi guitar-based-pop-folk or whatever you want to call it. Your black and white ear is telling you this is The Atlantic Manor's divorce record and it's sad and melancholic and beautiful nevertheless, even amidst the punk rage of Suicide Jockey -and R.Sell seems to keep his records delightfully short (this one's just over the 30 minutes limit not including the unnecessary hidden track) and to keep on dedicating his records to his children.

OTO (One Times One Zine)

The new album "Falling by the Second" by The Atlantic Manor was recorded on the spot, with no rehearsals, at a home studio for around five hundred dollars. The result is an album that sounds to me like Lou Reed's "Berlin," Pedro the Lion's "It's Hard to Find a Friend," and Tom Waits's "Rain Dogs" were ran through a blender and reconstructed by a morphine-infused manic-depressive poet, and with good reason, front-man and driving force Rick Sell made this as his "divorce album," with the help of his friends Jorge Bejel, Rick Sanchez, and Laura Moreno. Throughout the album you can hear the different feelings from the break-up, from blaming himself, "and he's kissin' you, and he holds you tight, he says the things to you, i could never get right...he says the words you want to hear at night," to blaming the new lover, "we used to be so close, all the girls would watch, it used to be so beautiful, so i thought, what has he done to you," to implying that somewhere in the back, he's been alone the whole time, "i think of better days, i get a strange sensation, feels like i've always been here before." This is a good album--the only drawback (if it really is one) is that this is a mood album, meaning, you need to be in a certain mood to really appreciate it. But believe me, there will be times when you need this album. If you feel you will ever be down, lonely, or just not feel right and need this album, you can get it from Do Too Records at www.Insound.com. The cover art, "Apple Blossom" by Kelli Dubay can be viewed at www.fineartandphoto.com and you can contact the Atlantic Manor at dotwo@bellsouth.net.

-Jason Hall 10/03/03 www.onetimesone.com

SMOTHER ZINE

The Atlantic Manor - Failing By the Second Ahh indie rock DIY-style. It can achieve greatness, can be inspiring, or it can be meaningless trite that exhausts the possibilities of bad music. Fortunately for everyone listening to The Atlantic Manor they fall into the first category. Their music is similar to some stuff that The Velvet Underground and My Bloody Valentine has accomplished to date. Their ability to take lo-fi bedroom-studio music and churn out masterful art rock pieces is astounding and worthy of several repeated listens. Not only does this album grow on you but it infects you to the very core. This captures as much attention as a sign saying "Free heroin" in a drug rehab center. J-Sin

UTTER TRASH MAGAZINE

Failing By The Second" is an album that has many moods. These moods are straight from the heart of R. Sell, who is primarily the Atlantic Manor. He did get some help from his friends, and the press release says these songs were recorded with no rehearsals. Musically, this album is quite moving, with swaying acoustic guitars, lo-fi drums, and keyboards. The lyrics are also good, but some may find Sell's voice to be annoying at times, but definitely not ALL the time. The songs could be compared to artists like Clem Snide, The Velvet Underground, or Lou Barlow. The record spans 9 songs, and is pretty enjoyable all the way through. The highlights include the lyrically beautiful "Broken Bones Heal", and the break-up inspired track "Everything Can Die Today". The latter seems to be a running theme on this record, and the album is noted in the press release as R. Sell's "divorce album." If lo-fi records are your thing, then "Failing By The Second" will make a great addition to your collection. It's a country meets indie rock album with punk rock roots that will have you wrapped in your own sadness, but feeling good, knowing that someone else shares your pain. (Eddie Fleisher)

ERASING CLOUDS #10

The Atlantic Manor, Failing By The Second

A marriage is what's failing on The Atlantic Manor's Failing By The Second, which has been characterized as his "divorce album" by R. Sell, the Miami-based musician behind this one-man band. A DIY rock effort with tinges of country (think Neil Young in places, or a slowcore Marah before they went all Brit-Pop), Failing By the Second is a gutwrenching trip through every feeling you'd experience during such a break-up: hurt, shame, anger, sadness, nostalgia, regret, you name it. Those emotions are projected in the bluesy guitars and the funereal tempos as often as they are the incisive lyrics. But on songs like "Every Thing Can Die Today" the music offers more positive vibes that serve as a sign of...well, maybe not hope, but at least resignation and a readiness to move on. In contrast, a song like "Strung Out Camp Talk" has a punk-rock restlessness and messiness that exudes the feeling that everything's too messed up to fix ("Staying awake for days/waiting my turn to die"). Failing By the Second's a dark march straight into a man's heart; it feels like therapy as much as rock and roll...but that's OK the songs rock forcefully and feel like real life.

ROCTOBER MAGAZINE: "Failing By The Second"

Proudly sad music about profound sadness. This is as honest an expression of despair as you will find burned into a silver round piece of plastic.

NEO-ZINE: "Failing By The Second"

The Atlantic Manor "Failing By The Second" (To Do Records/ 8321 SW 30 ST./ Miami, FL 33153/ Dotwo@bellsouth.net/ www.insound.com) Nice simple, slow, dark, easy flowing songs get hairy and start to break apart in stress related breakdowns. I thought I was in for another "sad song" recording for my "boo-hoo moments," but that's only part of what this has to offer. I think the depression loosened a few hinges in the Atlantic Manor. Its like a few guys got together and just started with a light strum and built songs naturally but spontaneously in a "jam session" sort of style, then when the juices got flowing the songs got out of control and took a life of their own (some pleasant, some erratic and devious.) Off beat emotionalism.

PAST AND PRESENT

The Atlantic Manor; Failing By The Second

Having recently been separated from my lovely wife, because of reason I just ain't gonna share with you all, it's easy to imagine I'd be into this record by an individual named Rick Sell who's written this record about his divorce. And you know what? I'm into it. It may be a little on the strange side at times - a left-winger so to speak - but the emotions put into this record aren't going to go by unnoticed. This is just too heartfelt and honest not to go straight to the heart, even though it's weird as Hell in places. So if you, by any chance, recently got divorced and want someone to shed some light on things or you just want to be around someone that's just as confused as you, you should pick up "Failing By The Second": Your new best friend. (JJJJ--)

SCHUELL

This is a one man solo project, that is all at once enigmatic, brooding, moody, swaying, disconcearning, palpable, credible, willing, relentless, pioneering and distinct. Having noted these things, one should understand it is a labor of love. It makes for a great introspect if nothing else. Feedback drenched and performance art influenced no doubt. Truly unique in that sense. Self described as 'Flying well below the indie-rock radar', and I would have to whole-heartedly agree.

SPANKZINE

Slow and deliberate, The Atlantic Manor play the bedroom blues, loading it with oppressive guitar work, a troubled tale or two and haunting samples. Raw and personal expressions of sadness are matched only by the deft displays of anger. This one is not easy to shake off, and the effects are visceral. - Matt

reviews

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author: Patrick Freedman
Mood music for sure! The next JANDEK? Maybe. This is an awesome album. My new favorite secret.
author: J. Peters
This is a Haunting record. Awesome stuff!