Man Man : Life Fantasic

<img src="http://www.qromag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/manmanlifefantastic.jpg" alt="Man Man : Life Fantastic" />With <i>Life Fantastic</i><span style="font-style: normal">, the Philly outfit strips away some of the crazy and the extras, while treading a darker,...
Man Man : Life Fantastic
7.3 ANTI-
2011 

Man Man : Life Fantasic

For any singular and unique act, every new album presents a conundrum: whether to stick to the style that’s won them a cult audience yet forsaking change, but it’s not like anyone else is doing what they’re doing, or actually trying to develop their sound, and threaten to upset the whole apple cart.  Man Man’s Anti- 2008 debut Rabbit Habits (QRO review) stayed true to the ‘Viking-vaudeville’ of previous releases, but with Life Fantastic, the Philadelphia outfit strips away some of the crazy and the extras, while treading a darker, if still soused, path.

The large group of percussionists and more that make up Man Man still sound more like Man Man than anyone else on Life, but sea shanties such as “Haute Tropique” and the title track are about tragedies, not high living.  Indeed, Man Man strip down to just a single instrument and singer/ringleader Honus Honus’ voice on “Steak Knives”, though that’s too far from what you’re looking for from this band.  Yet when they go back to the ‘Man Man stomp’, it doesn’t hit as strong as prior records, almost like their heart isn’t full in it on “Dark Arts”, “Spooky Jookie”, or “Bangkok Necktie” – it’s the darkness in those pieces that is memorably, not the stomp.  Instead, it is the funky, even dance, Man Man of opener “Knuckle Down” and later piece “Shameless”, along with the shanties, that are best on Life Fantastic.

Even fans of Man Man can’t blame the band for wanting to grow musically.  Life Fantastic feels like it has a foot in each world, the past & the future, and sometimes suffers for it, but shows promise as well.

MP3 Stream: “Haute Troique”

{audio}mp3/files/Man Man – Haute Tropique.mp3{/audio}

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