RABBIT HABITS

The music of Man Man is some of the goofiest, off-the-wall modern rock around. At the same time, they are also incredibly listenable and easy to get into. Rabbit Habits was my first experience with the band, and what a memorable journey it was! As is already mentioned in the band's Bio, there are a lot of similarities to bands like Samla Mammas Manna, but at the same time there is a little accessibility to be heard, at least as far as this release is concerned. They manage to weave a unique musical web, implementing a vast array of various instruments and noisemakers that I couldn't possibly begin to name, but simultaneously they have a familiarity and relatable nature that very few bands in the genre have. This means they can appeal to more than just one type of audience, and as such are a great starting point for RIO/Avant-Prog newcomers to ease their way in.

Ryan Kattner's rough, versatile voice lends itself incredibly well to the band's music. He can take on any voice role, jumping between traditional singing and high-pitched screaming on a dime, and anything else in between. His piano playing is also very well-implemented, as he plays away with eccentric gusto with the rest of the band members backing him up with virtually every sound imaginable. At one point during one of the goofier (and most enjoyable!) songs, ''Big Trouble'', they simply dropped a bunch of random household items and used that noise as percussion. After watching video footage of the band in the studio making the record, these moments are even more special to me, since it;s clear they simply want to make music with any unconventional means they can think of.

But as mentioned earlier; aside from all the random noises and nutty vocal styles, there is plenty of actual music on Rabbit Habits to enjoy. The songwriting may be wacky and seemingly disjointed at first, but like all great Avant-Garde Rock groups, the genius of the compositions will reveal themselves over time. It just happens that with Man Man's music, you can still enjoy yourself immensely right from the start, even if you don't quite understand what you're hearing.

The best tracks on Rabbit Habits for me are ''Hurly/Burly'', ''Big Trouble'', ''Doo Right'', ''Easy Eats or Dirty Doctor Galapagos'', ''Harpoon Fever (Queequeg's Playhouse)'' (who's opening piano reminds me of ''That Old Black Magic'', and who's initial guitar strumming is reminiscent of ''Wipeout''. What a combination), ''Rabbit Habits'' (A Beatles-esque piano ballad of sorts), ''Top Drawer'', ''Poor Jackie'' (the most beautiful, complex song on the record), and ''Whalebones'' (a wonderful Folk-meets-Jazz ballad featuring a banjo and saxophone). Oh, that's just about all the songs on the album? I see. Well, it's really hard to dislike ANY part of this album, as far as I am concerned, and this record really has no low points.

The musical genres are always rotating between Ragtime piano, Avant-Garde Rock, Jazz, Electronic, 'VIdeo Game' music, and many others. This constant change -up of styles means that you can't possibly get bored of this album, and you might just find yourself humming some of the melodies, despite how unconventional they might be. Man Man have managed to compose a work that infects the listener with its music in the same way the more common Pop song can, yet without sacrificing their unique artistic expression. So how can such an unusual album linger within us for so long? I guess that means these guys can right some damn good music-- conventional or not.

If you haven't heard of Man Man before, or aren't sure if you'd like their music or not, I implore you to dive right in. Especially if you are a Zappa fan (for the sense of humor) or a frequent listener of Samls Mammas Manna (for the musical style), but even if you're not, I think you'd be pretty hard pressed not to like what you hear. There is just something about Man Man's music (and this album in particular) that grabs hold of you and refuses to let go. As immediately accessible as a Pop song, yet as artistically diverse and abstract as a Picasso painting, Rabbit Habits is one musical ride you can't afford to miss. But of course, that's just my oh-so- humble opinion.

I'm not sure how to rate this, 4.5, I guess. I doubt it has the same exact qualities as the most iconic Prog albums out there, yet at the same time, to not call this work progressive or forward-thinking in its attitude would be doing the band's work and incredible injustice. Yet, I need to keep my ratings as realistic and balanced as possible, so I need to take my personal love for this record out of the equation and rate it on its own merits. So 4.5 stars is the closest I can get to calling it a flawless masterpiece (which, on a personal level, I believe to be the case).

In any case, you must give these guys a listen. Music this diverse and interesting deserves to be heard by everybody, and in my opinion also deserves a place on every music enthusiast's shelf.

Very happy listening.