Really, there are two Man Mans. There’s live Man Man, which is holy-shit-what-just-happened-let’s-do-that-again-fuck-yeah! awesome. Live Man Man, fronted by Honus Honus, wears tennis clothes and war paint. Live Man Man is fucking crazy. And then there’s studio Man Man. Studio Man Man is led by Ryan Kattner, Air Force brat, and presumably wears normal clothes. In the past, studio Man Man hasn’t been anywhere close to live Man Man’s fuck-yeah! awesomeness.
Enter Rabbit Habits, Man Man’s upcoming third album. The experience of listening to Rabbit Habits isn’t as good as seeing Man Man live, but it’s as close as they’ve gotten so far. The album is infinitely more accessible than their previous efforts, drawing more from a song like “Van Helsing Boombox” than “Engrish Bwudd.” Whereas lots of older Man Man songs seem to try to pack as many instruments and sounds in as possible, the songs on Rabbit Habits seem more contained. That is not to say that this is a standard pop album. Quite the contrary. On “Easy Eats or Dirty Doctor Galapagos,” Man Man channels the antics of Gogol Bordello, but “Hurly / Burly” sounds a little like Primus, a little like a radio-friendly rock song, and a lot like a kazoo. In “Hurly / Burly,” Kattner/Honus sings “This ain’t a love song,” but closer “Whalebones” is certainly a love song, banjo and all. Amazingly, it doesn’t feel out of place.
The standout track is “Top Drawer,” which has been all over the place for a while now. It’s crazy but catchy, with pretty memorable lyrics. If “Engrish Bwudd” is the staple of Man Man’s career up to Rabbit Habits, “Top Drawer” might replace it, and some fans may not like that. Fortunately, those fans have “Harpoon Fever (Queequeg’s Playhouse),” a pure throwback, along with “Hurly / Burly.” On the other end of the spectrum, “El Azteca,” a spazzy electronic track, is just awkward, and the title track needs to be faster.
Rabbit Habits is very good, but not quite great. There are great tracks though. The most stunning accomplishment, however, is the cohesion of the album. With the exception of “El Azteca,” none of the songs really feel out of place, and by the time the last two epic tracks are over, you get the sense that good or bad, Man Man tried to accomplish something. Good or bad, they succeeded. And best of all, there are even more songs to hear from live Man Man.
Rating: 7/10
Release date: April 8, 2008.
Label: Anti-
3 Comments »
“A rabble of rabid Richie Tenenbaums” may be the best description of Man Man I’ve ever heard. Thank you for enriching my life.
Man Man is an aural version of a Jodorowsky flick, and an indescribably amazing live act. This album is maybe their best yet and worth every penny… an early AotY candidate, to say the least.
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Comment by Poncho Villa — March 14, 2008 @ 7:52 am
Listening to a Man Man album is like watching a movie whilst blindfolded. It’s just not the same. You can’t tell they’re standing on top of their instruments or making faces at the crowd or doing anything at all really.
There’s something inherently magical about seeing a rabble of rabid Richie Tenenbaums hammer away at their instruments in front of a crowd of half-petrified, half-enthralled fans…