The Cars, “Move Like This”(Hear Music)
The Cars proved on Sunday night at the Fillmore Auditorium that they’re still a terrific live band. The reunited group’s performance was as energetic as the excited crowd. (See our review of the show at .) And they heavily favored the material from “Move Like This,” their neo-new-wave record that came out last week.
In the context of late-career, post-reunion releases, “Move Like This” lands somewhere between Gang of Four’s “Content” and the B-52s’ “Funplex.” It’s a fun record with all the essential elements: Ric Ocasek’s deadpan baritone, the meandering synthesizers, the summery guitars.
But in the context of the band’s previous releases, “Move Like This” hardly stands up. The band’s output from the late ’70s and ’80s is a legendary part of the pop canon and a necessary part of new-wave history. “Move Like This” often comes off as a B-side record that never needed to see the light, an indulgent experiment in ego and pride.
It’s almost unfair to expect greatness from the band in 2011, especially since its members have been separated for so long. But new material is fair game — and a fair target in the crowded schedule of current releases.
The best songs are upbeat nods to the band’s past. CD-starter “Blue Tip” builds off an infectious synth line and a classic Ocasek chorus. “Keep on Knocking” is another anachronistic jam that almost recaptures the brilliant shine of the band’s past. Almost. Ricardo Baca
Man Man, “Life Fantastic”(Anti-)
Man Man has always been a band you needed to see live. The East Coast outfit’s concerts are musical carnivals, aural freak shows. Its uncanny mixture of off-the-wall antics and circus- friendly indie rock has made it a live favorite over the years.
But the band’s recordings have been a different story. As is so often the case, the energy never translated to the album. CDs like “Six Demon Bag” lacked the concerts’ spastic vigor. For some, Man Man became a live-only experience.
But the band’s fourth LP, “Life Fantastic,” might be taking it around a corner. The crisp recordings are potent portraits of wild men on a roll (or on a bender). What makes Man Man so special? The strange instrumentation. The possessed vocals. The lingering vaudeville aesthetic. The penchant for the F-bomb.
And they’re all showcased here, thanks in part to producer Mike Mogis, the Nebraska studio man best known for his work with Saddle Creek artists Bright Eyes, Cursive and Rilo Kiley. Mogis, who has also produced records for She and Him and Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas, has a way of maintaining a group’s energy in recordings. While this Man Man CD still doesn’t compare to the band’s sweaty live shows, it comes closer than ever.
“Shameless” is a driving rager with a lovely roots breakdown in the middle. “Knuckle Down” is the CD’s strongest track, with dirty synths and outrageous, nontraditional song structure. And “Oh, La Brea” is a likable example of what makes this band so terrifically strange. Ricardo Baca
