Man Man is an experimental rock band from Philadelphia. Life Fantastic is their fourth album. They play a brand of alternative that is reminiscent of the mid-90’s. It all sounds very clever, as long as you don’t pay attention to the lyrics.
The album starts well with a keyboard and a drumbeat before a xylophone descends, and the song starts. It has a bit of a gypsy punk thing going on, and it sets the stage for the remainder of the album.
The best thing here is “Oh, La Brea”. It ends the album on a pleasant, quiet note. It’s a bit jazzy, and obviously Tom Waits influenced with its gruff vocals, and shout outs to Los Angeles streets. The song is something of a lullaby, and it wouldn’t be completely out of place on Waits’ Nitehawks at the Diner.
Another highlight is the druggy “Dark Arts.” The song is full of doom, or trying to avoid doom. It’s the sound of a man in a Mexican wrestler’s mask stampeding through a ballet. The song is about surviving, somehow living despite the crazy shit the narrator has lived through. It’s fast paced, and a little surviving.
That song ends, and the xylophone returns. That strange instrument guides the song, as the carnival sound continues. This song, “Haute Tropique,” contains the albums best line: “I eat my peas like a good boy’s supposed to.” The singer barks the lines. It’s a fucking carnival.
The best thing about this album is the variety of instruments. What at first sounds like Smashmouth, full of inconsequential nonsense quickly turns into a game of “name the sound.” By the time the song “Shameless” hits you’re on your knees with the band, and your head is in the clouds. Your brain is full of strange sounds, and you’re begging for more.
Track List:
01. Knuckle Down
02. Piranhas Club
03. Steak Knives
04. Dark Arts
05. Haute Tropique
06. Shameless
07. Spooky Jookie
08. Eel Bros
09. Bangkok Necktie
10. Life Fantastic
11. Oh, La Brea
