It's hard to say Man Man actually refined their sound, but after two boisterous albums of uncontainable rock, the mustached men have matured at least a little. Their songs are more structured but just as unpredictable. The band seems more relaxed, but their songs are just as manic. Rabbit Habits is the natural progression for the group, and everything their audience could ask for.
Insightful yet carefree, Man Man aren't so much a mixture of multiple genres as they are a myriad of emotions and textures. They play everything from pianos to fireworks, blending each sound together to create a unique mood for each track.
Doo Right"" starts off with the sound of bottle rockets and segues into a piano-led reflection with a nostalgic tone perfectly suited for colorful explosions in the sky.
""The Ballad Of Butter Beans"" features a frantic xylophone that evokes scenes of cartoon characters chasing after each other, just as a choir sings, ""Butter Beans, I'm gonna get you."" The next track, ""Big Trouble,"" transitions into a swinging melody of horns and a lumbering bassline, evoking images of flashing lights and Broadway.
The first single, ""Top Drawer,"" showcases Man Man at their very best. Combining full-throated yells and swaying piano with a circus of sounds, they still manage to write a catchy pop song.
The album's title track is an introspective masterpiece that demonstrates the band's true songwriting prowess. The song starts off with frontman Honus Honus singing, ""Don't you dare say that you weren't warned that the end was coming soon."" He then proceeds to expound on the problem that ""He don't even taste the food he eats anymore."" But instead of the depressive lyrics putting a damper on the album, the song pairs more piano with clarinet and provides hope that two people with traumatic pasts can come together, confide in and, ultimately, save each other.
Off the success of 2006's Six Demon Bag, Man Man got the opportunity to tour with Modest Mouse, allowing a larger audience to witness the spectacle that is a Man Man live show. Man Man is as much a visual experience as it is a sonic one. Covered in hair and war paint, they embody their music on stage and play each song like it is their favorite. The great thing is that though the albums don't entirely do the band's live show justice, the songs sound just as good on their own.
Rabbits Habits isn't a far departure from their two previous albums, and that's a good thing. Although still filled with a plethora of instruments and hooks, Habits is still spacious enough to let everything breathe and be absorbed easily. The result is another triumph for America's most masculine band, and one of the finest records of 2008.
