“Finds the band imbuing a sense of drama as they lean into a sound that marries indie rock and prog. The song twists and turns in a way that pulls you into its mysterious nature while maintaining a melodic sensibility.” — Glide Magazine
"A deeply personal fusion of post-punk, dream pop and art rock. Lustig’s surreal compositional flair pairs seamlessly with Porto’s mesmerizing soundscapes, crafting intricately layered songs that pulse with depth and atmospheric richness." -- It's Psychedelic Baby! Magazine
"Underground art-rock channeling Ron Mael (Sparks)." -- Echoes & Dust
NYC band MANICBURG announce their new EP, Resist The Gravity today. The EP is culled from four filmed studio performances at The Hit Factory (NYC) and The Brooklyn Pearl (Dumbo, NYC.) The EP is available to hear and share on all DSPs HERE.
The band previously released the official video for their single "Harness (with Wooden Hips)". The video is a clever juxtaposition of music video and news, with several subtle tributes, both visual and musical to past heroes that attentive listeners with enjoy deciphering. Watch the video and read about it HERE. (Direct YouTube.)
Glide Magazine previously shared the captivating animated video for lead single "One For You and One For Me" HERE (Direct YouTube.)
MANICBURG is a new project born in northern Manhattan. It is the trait d’union of two sonic worlds: that of NYC native Ray Lustig and Italy’s Luigi Porto.
The New York Times calls Lustig’s previous work, “surreally beautiful…ecstatic…rapturous,” The Washington Post hails its “eerie prescience.” Likewise, Angelo Badalamenti praises Porto’s work as “abstract, hypnotizing, absolutely unique,” and Stuart Maconie highlights its “incredibly striking atmospheres.”
Lustig and Porto trade off lead vocal roles, with markedly distinct voices and deliveries, Lustig with a theatrical edge, while Porto melds his rounded crooning tone with a punk inflection. Lustig also plays accordion and Hammond organ, Porto a warm hollow-body overdriven tone Combined with the Latin-rooted indie rock rhythmic sensibility of Barahona, Espinoza, and Salmon, the band’s live sound can be explosive yet controlled, atmospheric yet urgent, always in service of the true protagonist in Manicburg’s music: the song itself.
This EP acts as a companion piece to the debut album, revisiting the material from a different angle, with arrangements that at times diverge radically from the album versions. The theatrical garage-psych of “Silken Pavilion” erupts here into its darker and harsher incarnation, while “Monkey World” is translated through greater tonal density and a newly expanded instrumental section, built around the dialogue between guitar and Hammond through Leslie speakers, one of the defining voices of the Brooklyn Pearl recordings.
Yet perhaps the most fascinating transformation belongs to “All Together Now.” On the album recording, the song exists as a fully acoustic and choral piece, “larger than life” in its layered vocal arrangements, oversized acoustic guitar ensemble, trumpet, and samples taken from a Spanish procession. Here, onstage, or rather in the darkness of The Brooklyn Pearl’s industrial basement, it becomes something altogether different: a dark electric invocation, wholly ritualistic in nature, driven by a martial pulse, and counterpointed by accordion and the gradually ascending vocal harmonies.
The final recording is a completely stripped-down version of “Silken Pavilion,” featuring only Porto and Lustig reducing the song to its harmonic bare essentials through acoustic guitar, accordion, and their voices, recorded live at the historic studios of The Hit Factory, where the album itself was produced. Whether indulging in extravagant echoes of musical theatre and post-punk or retreating to two stools performing unplugged , Manicburg seems always about the core musical substance of their songs.
While the band’s stage performances hearken to antique and dramatic public rites, their forthcoming self-titled debut spans a vast sonic palette at times reminiscent of modern post-punk, dreampop and art-rock artists like Blonde Redhead, Bauhaus and Radiohead. The duo’s intricately crafted songs are testament to Lustig and Porto’s vast training and experience in the field. To wit:
Ray Lustig, as a composer/performer has created for the symphonic stage, theatre, and mixed media, and he teaches composition at The Juilliard School. His music is performed and recorded by numerous orchestras, ensembles, and soloists around the world, at venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Bartok Plusz Opera Festival, and Lincoln Center.
Hailing from the Italian underground and experimental scene, Luigi Porto has released albums under several monikers (Appleyard College, Mond), and toured with bands (Maisie, Anima Virus), scored films (Uljhan, Arbëria), and composed for orchestra and stage. Besides performing solo and with ensembles, his music has been at Carnegie Hall, La Croisette, Stanislavsky Theatre and many international venues.
Resist The Gravity is a digital only release via Bandcamp and streaming services via Respirano Records. The band's debut album Manicburg is available on LP, CD and streaming/download via Respirano Records released on October 25th, 2024. Order HERE / Save HERE.
Artist: MANICBURG
Album: Resist The Gravity EP
Label: Respirano Records
Release Date: June 12, 2026
01. Silken Pavilion (Live at The Brooklyn Pearl)
02. Monkey World (Live at The Brooklyn Pearl)
03. All Together Now (Live at The Brooklyn Pearl)
04. Silken Pavilion (Unplugged - Live at The Hit Factory)
Artist: MANICBURG
Album: Manicburg
Label: Respirano Records
Release Date: October 25, 2024
01. One For You and One For Me
02. Silken Pavilion
03. Hoover In The Sky
04. Here’s Your Man
05. Your Balloon
06. Rodents
07. Monkey World
08. All Together Now
09. Harness
10. Daughters On Valentine’s Day
11. One Man Cult
Vinyl tracklist:
Side A:
01. One For You and One For Me
02. Silken Pavilion
03. Hoover In The Sky
04. Here’s Your Man
05. Your Balloon
Side B:
06. Rodents
07. Monkey World
08. All Together Now
09. Harness
10. Daughters On Valentine’s Day
Bonus 7" 45rpm:
A. One Man Cult
