Review Summary: Man Man's latest (and greatest) disappointment.
Dear Man Man,
I hope this letter reaches all of you well.
It’s been a while since we last talked. How long has it been, six years? Seven? It was definitely at least six, cause On Oni Pond came out back in late 2013. Where does the time go? It feels like just yesterday I was whinging about that album. “They did it again! They keep watering their sound down! Where the hell did the experimental rock go?! Just call it quits already, this is embarrassing!” Good times.
I mean, I didn’t say it to your faces of course. That would be totally inappropriate. But I did think it. How could I not? Every release since 2006’s Six Demon Bag has been a step down from the last. What was once a collective of like-minded musicians slowly became the Ryan Kattner solo band. Each album became more like slightly off-kilter alternative rock, rather than the bold genre-bending noise you all once made. I have to ask, is that what you wanted Man Man to be from the start? Were the members that left the band the only talented ones? Or is Sub Pop forcing this on you guys? Do they have a gun to your heads? Just give me a sign or any sort of clue. I refuse to believe the entire band just woke up one day only to find all their creative energy was gone. Like they extracted it out of you guys so it could be shared communally with all the Sub Pop signees. I just can’t accept that. I won’t.
I’d like to think I’ve grown a bit since we first met in the mid-2000s, but I’d be lying. I’m still a sucker. Every new release I get reminded you guys are still knocking about and I get the urge to catch up. And every time I’m let down. I don’t know why I expected anything to be different this time around. Maybe it was the decent single (“Beached”) that was released in 2019, months prior to this album’s announcement. When the tracklist for Dream Hunting in the Valley of the In-Between was released, and neither of those songs showed up; that got me good, I’ll admit it.
Dream Hunting in the Valley of the In-Between really is just like you guys, isn’t it? Yet another subpar release with glimmers of hope. But digging for those short glimpses of the past is getting tiring. I mean, why even bother including little bursts of intrigue if they’re just going to be in the form of thirty-second interludes like “Oyster Point”? If you all are going to dedicate yourself to making kitschy pop for the alternative charts or to soundtrack an offbeat TV show, then just do it. I mean, I sure won’t be able to stop you if you do.
It’s gotten to the point where even the lyrics are affected: the one solace I had with newer Man Man releases. While the instrumentation progressively got worse, you still could write some vibrant, descriptive lyrics. Most of 2011’s Life Fantastic was saved by the macabre, pointed lyrics. They were strange, but never to the point of sounding forced. But on here, they’re soft. Play-doh. There are some fun lines strewn about, but nothing on-par with your past work. I think the most telling lyric on the whole album was the final line of “The Prettiest Song in the World”:
“I wanted to write you the prettiest song in the world,”
“But I got distracted, so I didn’t.”
It’s stuff like that, Man Man. Each time you call me out of the blue, I happily give you a courtesy chat. Because I’m clinging to a band that doesn’t exist anymore; one that only exists in my memories. Even if you only call just to ask for some money and/or to give me a copy of your new album, even if that album you hand me turns out to be a trash fire, I’d still give it a listen. And I probably always will. But from now on, it’ll be with lowered expectations. I’ve listened to most Man Man albums on release. But from now on, maybe I’ll put it off for a month or two, or only check it if there’s nothing else to listen to. We’ve been close for 15 years at this point. But from now on, we’re acquaintances (at best). This downward spiral you’re on is your problem to deal with. And I don’t have the heart to find out where you end up after you fall apart.
I hope that by the time we meet again (if we ever do), we’re both in a better headspace. Though, instead of 6-7 years like last time, why not make it an even decade? For my own sake.
Sincerely,
𝕾𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖜𝖎𝖈𝖍 𝓑𝖚𝖇𝖇𝖑𝖊
SandwichBubble
