Amplifier:::::::::::::Brian Baker
The Man recall a time when new wave and punk coexisted for a brief moment, when bands could sound delightfully cheesy with loads of Farfisa and swooping synths and choppy guitar rhythms while dropping thoughtful and even serious issues into their lyrics. While the Man strenuously avoid anything resembling serious, they certainly pack plenty of everything else into their debut EP, Uptight! Punk's brevity and propulsion are evident in the disc's nine songs and 22-minute length, but the overwhelming texture of the Man's presentation is the jumpy pop verve of new wave with Modern Lovers guitars skittering up against Devo synths to a beat that the B-52's would find comfortable. The fabulously moody "First Rate Shit" sounds like a mind meld of early Human League and Units with a dash of creepy Cramps atmosphere, while "Sex Politix" is a punky minute-and-a-half John Doe/Exene dual lead from the Man guitarist J. Ray and keyboardist Joy Ray. Uptight! is a great introduction to the Man, and it's good enough and short enough to play twice and enjoy even more the second time.
Frontiers:::::::::::::C.F.
It's always nice to start the year off with a sonic bang, and there are bangs aplenty on the debut album from the Man, a clever collection of Nu New Wave jams made for herky-jerky dancing. The Man are a four-piece band with dual lead vocals shared by J. Ray (guitar) and Joy Ray (keyboards). Their deadpan female/male counterpoints work well together, recalling at times the Human League and the B-52's filtered through the Rentals. Economically produced by Koool G Murder from the Eels, one can easily hear that band's influence on tunes like "First Rate Shit," with its creepy chord progression, and a sinewy riff played by a distorted bass. Musically spare, using minimal overdubs, the directness of the recording comes through like a torpedo, pumping up the low end. Gritty guitars cut through the mix and squiggly synth lines show that they've been studying the Cars and Gary Numan. Imagine if Imperial Teen decided to do a tribute to Devo and you've got a close approximation of what this sounds like. Lyrically simple, the songs encourage dancing ("Death Dance") and sex in cars ("Drive Me Home"), while pushing nebulous agendas for our future ("Modern World"). Like most of the early New Wave bands they're influenced by, the Man do have a pretentious side. (Their press info, for example, ditches personal information in favor of sentences like "The Man engage in cultural deconstruction as a form of revolutionary art.") All I know is that when I put this album on, suddenly all of the housework gets done in no time. Like aural methamphetamine, the music entices you to turn it up and dance around the room. The one drawback is length: With only nine songs in a little more than 20 minutes, it's over before you know it. No problems; it's just as good the second time around.
VenusZine:::::::::::::Dean Ramos
Although "neo-new wave" or "nu wave" bands are about as common as flawless complexions on WB teen soaps, very few of them actually manage to incorporate keyboards the way The Man does, while retaining the right to call themselves full-fledged rocknroll bands. But while The Man is capable of rocking out on numbers like "Death Dance" and "Drive Me Home" it also incites dance-floor tantrums on tracks like "Last Song." On its debut EP, Uptight!, the band plainly lays out such influences as the B-52's, Gary Numan, X, and The Cars, while also (with some clever tweaking) making the sound its own with some catchy hooks and top-notch vocals.
The Sentamentalist:::::::::::::Elias Zajchenko
Having made the decision to name themselves The Man may have been a bit ballzy, considering the phrase points to a high profile king or queen status in the way of slang. Whether it's a sign of over zealousness or unwillingness to take themselves seriously, god bless these guys. This album is a treat. Think Imperial Teen meets The Raveonettes. With beautiful bass accompaniment that serves as subtle sauce for the goose on tracks like "Sparks," this band has engineered ultra hip grooves and a beautiful balance of vocals between keyboardist Joy Ray and Guitarist J. Ray. Retro bop is the key element here and it's addictive and sweet. The Man sugar coats tracks like "Death Dance" to meet the equivalent of a high school dance musical that sounds like "We Go Together" from the Grease soundtrack. The difference is this version has much more groovy keyboard umph!!! to it. Lars Mars, owner of Makeout Records, has chanced on a group that is bound to give sustenance to ravers who crave an ample dose of indie or Brit pop rock. Seriously, Mr. Mars, you've hooked a big one here.
Flaunt:::::::::::::Britt Brown
"Who put the 'bop' in the bop-she-wop-bop-bop? Who put the 'ram' in the ram-a-lama-dina-dang?" These are just a few of the mystifying and elusive koans posed by LA synth-squad The Man on their deftly dated debut, Uptight! For, much like Bobby "Boris" Pickett's haunting and unanswerable plea of '62, "What ever happened to the Transylvania Twist?" most of the Man's musical riddles invite - nay, impel - the listener to reflect upon times past, love lost, haircuts fogotten. For example, when singers J. Ray (who, yes, looks a great deal like a young Gary Numan) and Joy Ray dispassionately sing-song "better living in the modern world" over perfect, retro-robot, Devo keyboards, one is strongly struck by that eternal conundrum: does this band love the '80s, or do they simply love bands who love the '80s? (Like, who's a bigger influence: The Cars or The Faint?) It's pretty deep actually. Or else it's not, and The Man merely represent the nu-new-wave; which, to save hyphens, should probbly just be called "old-wave".
Check out "UPTIGHT!" on CD Baby.
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