Man Man are known in equals parts for their three-ring circus look and sound. So what happens when they mature a bit and start depending less on rollicking full steam ahead in their all-white ensembles? Well, if you close your eyes and ignore the face paint, you get an album like Rabbit Habits. No fear, though, fans of the eccentric, it sill has that swampy Waits vibe (see “Big Trouble,” its “you fuck like a mule” naughtiness, etc.). And it’s not that they’ve run away from what brought them into folks’ bloglines — the kitchen-sink instrumentation, the goofy Zappa-isms and chants, etc. It’s just that the zaniness feels more in service of their writing now, or their writing is pushing for something more than just landing in the left-field. What do we make of the growth? Well, Rabbit Habits makes us even bigger man man fans, which we didn’t realize was possible. But then, when you get down to it, the band’s newfound maturity isn’t that surprising. In fact, we saw it coming.
Honus Honus started showing signs of playing it straight with his take on “Little Boxes.” At first, it was hard to believe that it was him singing. It was great. More accurately, actually, Honus introduced us to this vulnerable side with Six Demon Bag‘s “Skin Tension” and especially “Van Helsing Boombox” and its “I wanna sleep for weeks like a dog at her feet even though I know it won’t work out in the long run.” Such romance. There’s a little more of that side on this album in the brief voice cracking piano ballad “Big Trouble” (“I can’t breath underwater like I used to before I met you…”) and the excellent title track: “He don’t even taste the food he eats anymore / And he don’t wanna dine alone / And she don’t wanna die alone / And he wants to eat to live.” Those elegant little pelicans. Something that helps it maybe even trump Six Demon Bag is its sequencing: Gentle “Rabbit Habits” follows hyper synthesized, spy-and-spacey “El Azteca.” After the “Mysteries Of The Universe Unraveled,” basically an 11-second field recording of fireworks popping, we get that aforementioned “Doo Right” … which is followed by the Gogol/Waits ragtime spazzing of “Easy Eats Or Dirty Doctor Galapagos.”
Part of our love for Rabbit Habits could be that we feel like we already knew much of the record: We posted “Big Trouble” back when we thought it was called “Zombie.” They’ve been playing that and fellow-standouts “Mister Jung Stuffed,” “Hurly/Burly,” and “Harpoon Fever” a lot live at most of the shows we’ve posted about. Particularly, dim sum night and at Webster Hall with Celebration and Pissed Jeans. The one-note kazoo/kitchen-sink juggernaut “Hurly/Burly” kills, with its pot clangs, Pow Pow percussion, and Honus animus — the “this ain’t no love song”s backed up by a nasty clapping polyrhythmic breakdown; it’s a skill set snapshot that belongs on repeat.
Another noteworthy take comes via the advance track “Top Drawer” — “People claim I’m possessed by the devil / but father I know I’m possessed by your daughter,” is pretty bad ass, no? — but what’s maybe the most impressive thing about Rabbit Habits is the band’s decision to close out the 13-track run with two 7-plus minute epics: “Poor Jackie, which is ostensibly about a female Jack The Ripper (“She tattoos a mustache above her lip / curses God for those hips,” after hearing Jack is still on the loose) and the cool-jazz-y, mysterious, horn and banjo-lined love story closer “Whalebones”: “She holds him like an infant / Though it breaks her in half to know her weight like a man.” Its female harmonies and Honus’s soulful delivery offer a mellow, restive end to the sermon. It’s one of a number of tracks about love or at least things that pop up between men and women, most likely fucking like rabbits. So, yeah, their (and our) habits. There a few tracks where the troupe zigs when we’d have liked a zag, but it’s that unpredictably that makes us love ‘em. Overall, we couldn’t be happier. Kudos kudos, Man Man.
Rabbit Habits 4/8 on Anti-.
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My excitement knows no bounds.
Everyone who isn’t me that possesses the prerelease of Rabbit Hats can die in a fire. I hate you all.
No Hats. Just Habits, Fireman.
ummm, link?
Gimme Gimme Gimme!… I swear if there are any Me First and the Gimme Gimmes replies i will burn all!
Which of these tracks is the one that was referred to as “Omaha”? I am drowning in impatience for this CD.
cool MAN MAN mustaches FOREVERRRRRZ!
i dig a couple of songs off of it but it still needs a couple of listens
Has it actually leaked? Because I need proof!
so so so so so excited
So Omaha became Mister Jung Stuffed. What about “Spooky Jookie”, is that “Poor Jackie”?
Several other new songs without names live on YouTube including the one where Honus Honus puts on some weird vest, what song is that?
somebody PLEASE post a link.
seriously. share the wealth
a link would be nice
it hasn’t leaked yet, but promos are out.
anyway, it’s pretty fantastic, infectious as all get-out!
http://pre-download.blogspot.com/2008/02/man-man-rabbit-habits.html
been nine+ days
I don’t like the drum part on Harpoon Fever, too much focus on the high-hat. Also “Easy Eats…” is mixed strangely.
Other than that, great album!
ok yeah I have seen this site and have no clue where to find the damn’d link to download it.
That “Pre-Download” site is a fake. Everything on there is fake. They also claim that the new Sufjan Stevens album has leaked, and Of Montreal’s “Skeletal Lamping” as well.
Arrgh, that site had me freaking out for the past 24 hours. Le sigh. Guess I just have to wait.
which one is Easy Eats? Is it one of those live clips on Youtube?
Oh, you saw it coming, did you?
Smug, smug, smug.
which one is Spooky Jookie?
Are the promos watermarked or something? One of you kindly blogg’o journalists please end the tease cycle and give in to the dark side.
You know you ‘ought to. <__>
I am thinking that Spooky Jookie might now be Rabbit Habits (does say “habit” early in the song). Would be nice for someone in the know to confirm.
That’s a damn good song, maybe better than Top Drawer and Big Trouble.
got this email from Honus, ” Spooky Jookie, unfortunately, did not make the album this time around. Next album. The song where I get all “fancy” is called “The Ballad of Butter Beans”. Hope you enjoy the new album. We’re happy with it.
”
This is the best thing so far this year. I don’t know what you’re talking about though; if anything, they’ve added a few rings to their circus. Lyrically, the songs may have matured, but the music is still as batshit spazzy awesome as ever. holy shit. I’m a thousand percent hooked.
http://thepiratebay.org/tor/4076769/Man_Man_-_Rabbit_Habits_%5B2008%5D
,if anyone’s still looking
it sounds exactly like every other man man record, but somehow more grating and annoying.. 3/10
I’ve heard the album via the radio station I work at. It’s phenomenal; best of the year. And no, “Spooky Jookie” is definitely not on it, but “Mr. Jung,” “Poor Jackie,” “Easy Eats” and of course “Top Drawer” are standouts. Everything is great though. 10/10.
I’ve heard the album via the radio station I work at. It’s phenomenal; best of the year. And no, “Spooky Jookie” is definitely not on it, but “Mr. Jung,” “Poor Jackie,” “Easy Eats” and of course “Top Drawer” are standouts. Everything is great though. 10/10.