Favorite New Release of the Week - Apr. 8th, 2008

Man Man - Rabbit Habits

It's safe to say this album has definitely been one of the most highly anticipated for me this year.  At some point during the wait I was watching Serpico and realized Ryan (a.k.a. Honus Honus) has quite the Serpico-era Al Pacino vibe going on.  He could definitely pull it off at Halloween with a nice fake beard if he chose to.  What that has to do with this review I have no idea but I still thought it was worth mentioning.  If anything, I don't think you can go wrong with Al Pacino or Man Man and this record proves the Man Man part of that equation.

Ryan stated in an interview with Pitchfork that despite the band's previous beliefs about Six Demon Bag, Rabbit Habits is actually the band's pop record.  There are plenty of great, traditional Man Man moments here but what struck me were the softer, sentimental and, as Ryan put it, more pop moments on the record.  One of the best moments like this on Six Demon Bag would have to be the oft-quoted line in "Van Helsing Boombox" of, " I want to sleep for weeks/like a dog at her feet."  A similar expression can be found during "Doo Right" with, "I wanna hold you/'til the Mountains turn into sand."  Have no fear though, what makes this record so great and shows the breadth of Man Man's talent is showcased on the sequence of tracks starting with the aforementioned "Doo Right" and ending with the title track, "Rabbit Habbits." 

Just when you thought the band's gone soft on "Doo Right," they hit you with a Man Man-lian take on what most of us have experienced in regards to an indecisive significant other.  The lyrical warning during "Easy Eats Or Dirty Doctor Galapagos" of, "You get the girl/you lose the girl/the girl wants back/but you've already moved on/you take her in/she changes her mind/you lose the girl/and you've lost out twice,"  would have served me well when I was a teenager.  This track is followed up with the insane surf-rock number "Harpoon Fever (Queequeg’s Playhouse)" with its discussion of volcanoes and Dick Dale guitar licks and then quickly followed by the spacey feel of "El Azteca" and its spooky vocals.  All of these tracks are perfectly bookended by the title track "Rabbit Habits" and a return to the softer, more intimate side of Man Man.  In "Rabbit Habits" we're presented with the two wayward souls and their desire to not spend their days alone.  Despite the down-and-dirty, raucous nature of Man Man on record and in concert this might be, dare I say it, a very tender song.  I would say, "who would've thunk it," but I think anyone who has really listened to Man Man's records, seen them live, or had the privilege to chat with the members of the band would agree they knew the guys had it in them.  Lucky for us they're exploring these areas and showing off what they're coming up with.

• Man Man - "Hurly/Burly" from Rabbit Habits
• Man Man - "Top Drawer" from Rabbit Habits