Saying Man Man mostly plays love songs is like saying most bands feature drums, except that the former isn't actually true. This Philadelphia band, whom I pretend are the city's attempt to apologize for smooth jazz, blends '50s-era pop with rather unusual percussion and uncomfortably unstable vocals to produce a sound halfway between Tom Waits and something that fell out of Zappa's trunk while he was day-tripping.
For their third installment, "Rabbit Habits," Man Man has let a bit of energy leak out to focus more on melodic clarity and emotional trauma. In this case, focus becomes a rather relative concept. As Man Man's front man Honus Honus puts it in his interview with Pitchfork Media, "If anything the focus is more laser beam. The last one was more tractor beam, pull you in and now we're just going to zap the shit out of you." This being said, it's still a busy album filled with the sounds of overturned chairs and fireworks in trashcans (try "Mysteries of the Universe Unraveled"). And while the action from their previous album "Six Demon Bag" will be sorely missed, with the aforementioned sonic diversity, few will get time to dwell on any omissions.
And though it has its differences from its predecessors "Six Demon Bag" and "The Man in the Blue Turban With a Face," they've still got plenty in common. In response to the soulful ballad "Van Helsing Boombox," Honus returns in full force with "Doo Right," "Poor Jackie" and "Whalebones." In an ironic twist for such a calm album, one of the most energetic songs in the band's short history has to be "Top Drawer," though sheer force might be more descriptive. Furthermore, the album ekes out plenty of bedlam-inspired theatrics for even the most ravenous of fans.
When it comes down to it, "Rabbit Habits" is a significantly more mature album. Like focus, however, mature is also a relative term. It's as if the members discovered the danger inherent in fireworks and now just play with fire. The mania embraced in the music is subtle, but not toned down whatsoever. If you're patient, this might turn out to be your favorite Man Man album to date. All things considered, "Rabbit Habits" is a welcome addition to the band's discography, but probably shouldn't be anyone's initial exposure to such a multifaceted group.
