Words that have been used to describe Miss Manuks music:
strong, soaring, powerful, glimmering voice, dark, intriguing, drifty, stormy, operatic, archaic, intense, seductive, avant- garde, edgy, experimental, bluesy, jazzy, intricate, meandering, mature, diverse, atmospheric, deep, attention- holding, raw, special, unique, voodoo-swamp-rock, enchanting, intelligent, haunting, stylish, quirky
Miss Manuks music is concerned with dreams and waking. Dreams of love and secrets. Bizarre and mysterious dreams, sometimes nightmares. Waking up to the world we live in and the mess weve made of it. The oddness of reality and getting on track. Miss McDougalls unique and surprising voice (sometimes likened to Kate Bush) moves from the melancholy and claustraphobic to a soaring and powerful intensity. It is met with sometimes unconventional and meandering compositions that take the listener on an emotional rollercoaster. There is certainly something of the deviant in the way she writes, and a perception I am sure she would wish upon herself is one of a person detatched and somewhat disengaged or dissatisfied with the way in which individuals of the Western world are expected to live their lives. She definitely values honesty above all else and her lyrics at times reveal an abstract sense of humour. The music conjures up images of the sea and earth, dense forests, dark caves, rugged cliffs. Miss McDougall clearly carries her time in Cornwall with her, as well as her time growing up in the green hills of Umbria and countless voyages to other foreign countries. Her experiences must surely feed the imaginary velvety night-times and lonely moorland excursions suggested by the atmospheres the music summons. Her intentions are to widen the boundaries of what can be said and imagined through music, while remaining accessible and laying down tunes that can really touch the soul and rock the body. The influences on the music range from the avant-garde and classical, to rock, trip- hop and electronica, to 80s.
Miss McDougall started her adult life as a painter and graphic artist, before music started taking over her life far more. Hardly surprising given she has sung throughout her life, sometimes in choirs, and became quite skilled at piano as a child. She played with various groups before deciding to follow her own path and gather her own loyal band of merry men. She got as far as she felt she could with
music in Cornwall, gigging in pubs before appearing at a couple of large-scale events (Royal Cornwall show, Tremough Campus) and receiving play on local radio. She recorded with two producers and had record company interest. She is now in Bristol. Since moving she has managed to gain a grant from the Princes Trust and is performing and promoting events, working on new material, building up a fanlist and entering competitions, while preparing a tour and a new album for 2006. She aspires to be able to perform internationally and at festivals.
Rock, Electronica, Trip-Hop, Avant-garde, 80's
