Labels: self released
Review by: Laurence Olsen
A funny one here. There are some nice moments that hark to Man Man’s more conformist tendencies, and yet, probably in spite of that, it’s still often completely confused as to which direction it wants to head in.
When PR set the glockenspiel and twinkly guitar as an angelic precursor to some of the heavy, on-edge riffs, it works rather well as on track 3, “Transparent Smiles”. Sadly, these moments are fleeting and it’s too much a case of little and not-so-often. By the time you’re settling into a mid-tempo strummer (wink) you’re rudely awakened by some ill-suited haw-haw vocals.
And then at times there’s a really nice sombre, self-deprecating angle that could be played on for sustained periods. Instead, they interrupt these passages with ill-fitted bursts of vaguely acknowledged Mike Patton-related projects.
Not even track 8, “My Name is F”, which I quite like, is enough to salvage it. On the whole it’s pretty dissatisfying without being really too upsetting. There are certainly moments that interest, perhaps even delight, but in the long run the album’s rewards feel very fleeting and ultimately pretty poor.