metal man man hearts

starting off the week with a look at two new releases due in stores tomorrow. first time to give credit where credits due: my brother was the one excited about Man Man and so that made me look into them and i simply love what i've heard. meanwhile, my good friend Ben, who runs Hang On to Your Ego and who made the LA blog post featured in Stereogum last week, was the one who talked me up on Metal Hearts.

Man Man are a collective of philly-based musicians, but it may make sense if you're rather call them a circus. the sound and what i've heard about their live show allows that. vintage instrumentation, freak flag eclecticism and vocals that reminisce of Tom Waits playing the part of the twisted barker are the best i can do to describe it. it's the kind of music that could easily be mistaken for ironic if it wasn't so damned sincere. it was no surprise that my brother was a fan as the macabre vaudeville reminded me of one of his favorite bands, Firewater. here on their second full-length release, Man Man has grown to take on members of phlly experimentalists Need New Body, appropriate contributors to this Beefheart meets Screaming Jay Hawkins revival that according to many stole the show just a year ago at sxsw. the group will be playing a few dates the rest of this month supporting Six Demon Bag, the cleverly titled new album (a reference to the movie Big Trouble in Little China and also a rare trinket item in warcraft).

2-24- Brooklyn, NY- North Six
2-25- NY- Bard College
2-26- New Haven, CT- BAR Nightclub
2-27- Easthampton, MA- Flywheel
2-28- Portland, ME- SPACE
3-1- Providence, RI- AS220

these two tracks, taken from the new album, are simply amazing. the first, "Black Mission Goggles" is one of the best songs i've heard this year thusfar.

Man Man "Black Mission Goggles"
"Van Helsing Boombox"

Socialize is the Suicide Squeeze debut from the baltimore-based Metal Hearts, featuring a tandem of multi-instrumentalists, Anar Badalov and Flora Wolpert-Checknoff. their self-released album of introverted bedroom blip-pop caught the attention of the tastemaker label on the other side of the country, who signed the pair of teenagers and had put them out on the road with Pedro the Lion. the electric meets organic mix of their music has driven comparisons to the Notwist while others have astutely suggested a more subdued Bishop Allen. flattering comparisons if you're a fan of those bands much as i am. you'll also enjoy this titular track if you're fond, much like myself, of things that sound melancholic. they will be touring extensively next month and you can visit their website for all the tour dates.

Metal Hearts "Socialize"