Album Review: Man Man - Rabbit Habits

It did not take too long for me to get quite addicted to the percussive, mayhem-based Philadelphia group Man Man. I admit that I have listened to their 2006 album Six Demon Bag seven times this week just to prepare for the musical punch-to-the-face I knew I was about to receive from their new release, Rabbit Habits. After spending all of yesterday with the new album, I have somehow become an even bigger fan.

Read more about Man Man's Rabbit Habits after the jump

Upon first glance at the album cover, Man Man's character immediately shines. Just like the band, it is quirky, odd, and leaves you questioning what is truly going on. All the while it brings you back for a second or third viewing (or listen if we are talking about the band). The cover features a disheveled cut-out of a burning building which has rooms containing among other things: a gorilla using a typewriter, a man in a banana suit, oral sex on a bean bag, suicide by hanging, and many skeletons in the walls.

The album starts out in true Man Man fashion with heavy drums and high-pitched La La La's. Frontman Honus Honus' coarse, unmistakable vocals lead the band through the twisting and turning opening track "Mister Jung Stuffed". "Hurly / Burly" continues with the percussive ways we've grown accustomed to, but also brings a more accessible sound out of Man Man for listeners who might have found them too harsh before. Rabbit Habits third track "The Ballad of Butter Beans" is slowly becoming one of my favorites on the album. I am not sure whether this rather aggressive tale is targeted at some specific person, but the walking bass line, blistering xylophone, and touches of synthesizer add up to a pretty fun song.

Along with the heavy percussive influences, Man Man are known to throw several other instruments, traditional or not, into their music. The song "Big Trouble" features a horn section, while the nine-second "Mysteries of the Universe Unraveled" consists only of the sounds of explosives and whistling bottle rockets. Honus Honus provides a piano/vocal solo in "Doo Right" before taking off with the rest of the band again during "Easy Eats or Dirty Doctor Galapagos". In my opinion, "Harpoon Fever (Queequegs Playhouse)" is the most advanced, genre-bending song that Man Man has ever created. It jumps from psychedelic prog-rock to surf music in the matter of moments all while keeping true to their original percussion-heavy sound.

Man Man

Taking their music to a new level seems to have been the goal for the making of Rabbit Habits. Predominantly featuring electric loops and samples, "El Azteca" shows Man Man's inner Devo. The album's title track "Rabbit Habits" sounds like it could very well be a cut from the latest Wilco album, featuring toned-down piano and vocal parts. The first single "Top Drawer" has already been on heavy rotation in my music collection for the past several weeks. I could definitely see that song getting plenty of commercial airplay as Man Man starts to make a more grandiose name for themselves in the upcoming months.

"Poor Jackie" starts off as an off-kilter waltz much like The Decemberists' "Mariner's Revenge Song". After several minutes though, it takes a completely different turn and makes itself into the album's sing-along. Once again, only as Man Man does it, the song takes yet another turn and adds a wall of noise from the horn section from earlier. This eight-and-a-half minute song finishes off with a bluesy female chant layered over Honus' vocals. "Whalebones" politely finishes off the album with a personal tale about lost love which includes a blissful instrumental outro.

At first listen this album seems to have a very light-hearted edge to it, leaving it open to the average music listener. After some more time with Rabbit Habits though, I have come to realize that under that lighthearted posterior lies some very emotional and, at times, dark stories. I can see where people categorize them with the likes of Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart. They have many similarities in their non-traditional vocal styles and unique song structures. The main difference between them though is that Man Man brings so much more emotion to their songs than Zappa or Beefheart ever could.

Here is the making of Rabbit Habits (featured on Pitchfork.tv):

Breakfast On Tour will be catching Man Man a few times in the next several months. Toast will be covering their stop at the Slowdown in Omaha with Brooklynites Yeasayer. Also, we just found out through the ACL Mash-up that they will be making a stop at the Austin City Limits music festival in the fall, so, hell ya.

If you have any strong feelings towards Rabbit Habits or Man Man in general, either positive or negative, feel free to leave a comment below.

Eat Your Damn Breakfast!

-Eggs