Philly’s Man Man continues to rock rock

By Erin Mae Szrankowski and Teddy Hanson
Collegian Editor & Collegian Reporter
April 16, 2008

April 8 was the release date of Man Man’s new album, Rabbit Habits. Alongside their record release they decided to come back home to Philadelphia and give the people a chance to celebrate Rabbit Habit’s release with a concert at the Starlight Ballroom.

We have both been to a number of Man Man shows, and each one has been a unique experience. Man Man’s music is meant to be seen live; nothing can communicate the energy and insanity of their performances other than seeing them live. In fact, Man Man is known for never taking breaks in-between songs.

Every one of their shows is a powerhouse of nonstop energy and sound. All of this added to the notion that this record release party meant that we were in for an amazing show. It was also a special night because joining these hometown heroes were Brooklyn-based Dirty Projectors.

Slowly but surely, the band has been making a name for itself, thanks to good music and positive blog hype. When we saw them in the musical flesh, we realized that Dirty Projectors sound better live than recorded. Rise Above, their 2007 release, was one of Collegian’s top albums of last year. Never could we ever believe that they would be that fantastic.

Overall, when the band walked onstage, it looked as if someone the fourtet all knew had died. Their faces were grim and hidden away from the crowd. It didn’t help that they did not say much either. However, once all instruments were tuned and ready to go, Dirty Projectors came to life.

The first song performed was “Emblem,” which seemed to be new material. After the first chords were strummed the crowd looked completely puzzled. You could tell they didn’t know how to move to the music being played, or if they should move at all. “Emblem” was a perfect and colorful opener, which gave way to Rise Above’s “Gimmie, Gimmie, Gimmie.” Two songs into the show and already our minds were blown. The back-and-forth vocal harmony between the two girls was spot-on.

Dirty Projectors’ music does not fulfill your typical pop song structure of verse plus chorus plus hook. No, instead, they can be classified as avant-garde. The drums don’t really follow the established baseline, while the two guitars exchange dissident chords. The outcome may be messy sounding, but it takes technique and creativity to get this style down.

Some other songs from older releases like “Imagine It,” and “New New Attitude” were also on the cardboard set-list (which we forgot to take from the Starlight Ballroom).

The last song of the night was “Rise Above.” It was the perfect summary of their performance. Riveting in nature, it blew our minds again.

All the elements from DP’s performance came together and concluded itself without the need for any goodbyes. The time had finally come; it was Man Man’s chance to blow away the Philadelphia crowd.

Before Man Man took the stage, a group of their friends, some from other Philadelphia bands, came on stage cheering and swinging noisy tubes over their heads. The crowd was yelling and cheering for more. Everyone pushed forward in hopes of getting closer to the stage. \

The stars of the night then emerged from backstage, clad in their typical all-white outfits, accompanied by a man in a gorilla suit. The gorilla suit was something we had never seen at a Man Man show before, and that is when we knew this would be like no other Man Man show we had ever seen. As the men men of Man Man took their seats, the crowd quieted down a little and then the insanity began.

Man Man started off with Rabbit Habits’ opening track, “Mister Jung Stuffed,” hitting the crowd instantly with the raw energy that is Man Man. The rattling drum beat combined with the crashing chords of frontman Honus Honus’ stage piano were like the first punch of a bar fight, launching the crowd, and the gorilla man, into a frenzy.

From there, Man Man grabbed their noisemakers and moved into the second track of Rabbit Habits, “Hurly/Burly.” The song began as noisemakers squalled among a storm of erratic snare hits. Eventually the chaos was focused by a lumbering bass line, directing the song forward, while still maintaining a high

As Man Man continued, they played a number of songs from their albums. Songs from Rabbit Habits include the high tension “Harpoon Fever (Queequeg’s Playhouse),” one of our personal favorites, and the uncharacteristically electronic “El Azteca,” which seems to take cues from the Super Mario “Basement Theme.”

Fortunately, Man Man played some fan favorites off their other two albums Man In The Blue Turban With A Face and Six Demon Bags. Off Six Demon Bags was a pots-and-pan banging gypsy jaunt, known as “Black Mission Goggles.” The mustache-obsessed and blackjack enthused “Push The Eagle’s Stomach,” which never gives the crowd a break from its constantly changing time signature, and the sceamy energy upper “Young Einstein On The Beach.” Man Man also threw in the ever-endearing “Gold Teeth.”

Man Man finished out the set around 45 minutes. Usually they cannot do encores because they are all so incredibly worn out, but not that night. The crowd cheered and cheered, and Man Man returned. They tore through another four songs, and with that they were done. Slowly the crowd dispersed, some to purchase assorted bits of merchandise, and others just wanted to get outside to cool off. We can confidently say that everyone went home sweaty, worn out, and happy that night.

szrankowskie1@lasalle.edu
hansone1@lasalle.edu