Philadelphia’s Man Man are one of those acts, like Liverpool’s Clinic (QRO spotlight on), who sound like no one else but themselves. Their self-described “Viking-vaudeville” sound, centered around main men Honus Honus & Pow Pow, but also featuring a whole orchestra of strange instruments, is a raucous one that only gets more so live (QRO live review). However, that singularity does put them in the bind of limited growth, since where do you go from completely original? For 2011’s Life Fantastic (QRO review), the group moved a little darker, and on On Oni Pond, those shadows remain, also with some restraint & not-as-fitting tech.
After sub-minute horn intro “Oni Swan”, Pond opens in classic Man Man style with the Viking-vaudeville “Pink Wonton”, and the record similarly closes in send-off (with sax solo!) “Born Tight”. But in between those two, the group often pulls back from the chaos for not just darkness (“Fangs”, “King Shiv” – which references “Put the lotion in the basket”…), funk (“Pyramids” and “Paul’s Grotesque”), and even a sad ukulele love song (“Deep Cover”). While the restraint nicely evolves Man Man’s sound, there’s also some tech, like on “Shiv” & “Grotesque”, which doesn’t fit this decidedly analog outfit.
Man Man could have released the same basic record over & over again, since not only does no one sound like them, but also they’ve always been an act more about their live show than recordings. That’s why it’s so good to seem them pushing their own boundaries.
Man Man – Fangs
