Defend Moscow - Manifesto

Mix a touch of Red Hot Chili Peppers-influenced funk with a hefty pinch of 80s inspired synth pop and somewhere in that blend Defend Moscow lie. ‘Manifesto’ is an extremely technical song, encompassing a diligent and studious approach with the layout of this track, and this is coupled by a gleaming, crystal clear cheesy disco feel. It is certainly a great pop song, however it seems somewhat restrained. Indeed there is a certain Alphabeat-inspired saccharine sweet twee-pop essence, mainly evident in the double vocals that give this a glimmering shine to which only personal opinion can decipher whether that is brilliant or simply wrong. However, unlike much of the song which packs one hell of a punch, the two singers both display an apparent lack of energy. It may be a stressful experience in the studio, but there is a distinct lack of effort given in this song. Whilst it’s a very accurate performance (as one should expect), it all seems rather half-hearted in comparison to the rest of the track. Defend Moscow are highly “remix-able” as the brilliant remixes by the likes of KGB and Lenny Picko show. ‘Manifesto’ is a great tune, what a shame that Defend Moscow didn’t pull their finger out.