Dream Hunting in the Valley of the In-Between

by Man Man

Overview

After a particularly unhinged early phase, experimental genre-bending indie group Man Man showed slights signs of mellowing. Led by wild-eyed songwriter/singer/instrumentalist Honus Honus, the band yowled and hooted through their early albums with a feral energy borrowed from Captain Beefheart and then embellished with cabaret theatrics. There are still hints of that early wildness on sixth album Dream Hunting in the Valley of the In-Between, but Man Man funnel their ferociousness into far more accessible pop forms here. This isn't a completely new direction. Honus and crew have been cleaning their act up incrementally since 2011's Life Fantastic, and in the time between Man Man albums Honus even made a solo record of children's music. The songs are served well by more polished production, tunes like "On the Mend" and album standout "Future Peg" molding the band's unbridled energy into pop structures that would sit well on commercial FM rock radio play lists. The melodies are clear and neatly presented without neutering the group's signature chaos or adventurous arrangements. Man Man's genre-flipping essence is still apparent in the slinky cabaret groove of "Goat" or the loungy jazz touches of "Unsweet Meat." Even the explosive noisy introduction of "Cloud Nein" fades into a feel-good piano pop tune that's catchier than anything the band have ever done before. Dream Hunting in the Valley of the In-Between continues the turn towards hooks that Man Man began exploring years ago, and like those earlier records it retains the band's spirit while embracing more accessible songwriting. Even with the more tuneful tracks, the album has enough bizarre lyrical imagery, unexpected outbursts, and general freakiness to keep Man Man from losing the weirdness they built their sound on. ~ Fred Thomas

Product Details

Release Date:	07/24/2020
Label:	Sub Pop
UPC:	0098787135015
Rank:	41537

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Dreamers
2. Cloud Nein
3. On the Mend
4. Lonely Beuys
5. Future Peg
6. Goat
7. Inner Iggy
8. Hunters
9. Oyster Point

Disc 2

10. The Prettiest Song in the World
11. Animal Attraction
12. Sheela
13. Unsweet Meat
14. Swan
15. Powder My Wig
16. If Only
17. In the Valley of the In-Between

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Man Man   Primary Artist
Tugboat   Vocals
Honus Honus   Harp,Banjo,Snake,Guitar,Vocals,Marimba,Triangle,Keyboards,Vibraslap,Percussion,Synthesizer,Fender Rhodes,Piano (Upright),Vocals (Background)
Rebecca Black   Vocals
Dre Babinski   Vocals
King Cyrus King   Bass,Harp,Loops,Organ,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Bassoon,Marimba,Timpani,Trumpet,Clarinet,Clavinet,Melodica,Keyboards,Mellotron,Wurlitzer,Sax (Alto),Bass (Upright),Bass (Electric),Piano (Upright),Synthesizer Bass,Synthesizer Strings,Vocals (Background)
Isaura String Quartet   Strings
Thu Butler   Bass,Sax (Tenor),Sax (Baritone),Bass (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Brett Swett   Guitar,Vocals,Marimba,Vocals (Background)
Eggs Foster   Bass (Upright)
Jazz Diesel   Bongos,Trap Kit,Drum Loop,Percussion
Mature Kevin   Bass,Vocals,Marimba,Trumpet,Clarinet,Clarinet (Bass),Vocals (Background)
Mark the Key Man   Piano

Technical Credits

Honus Honus   Tapes,Colorist
S. "Husky" Hoeskulds   Mixing
Man Man   Composer
Ryan Kattner   Composer,Lyricist,Producer
Cyrus Ghahremani   Composer,Producer
King Cyrus King   Colorist,Instrumentation