Manicorn - We're Manicorn

The words "rock and roll" bring with them certain connotations. You can't have rock and roll without attitude, without sneers or arrogance. It's just built in to what rock and roll is and has always been. The term that once served as code for gettin' it on now serves as code for the very attitude that enables rock stars to get it on in the first place. Manicorn uses this both earnestly and not, playing the line between golden gods and merry pranksters to great effect. Lyrically tongue-in-cheek with the instrumental muscle to make it feel almost real, We're Manicorn inhabits a playful, energetic space that rock and roll should shoot for more often.

I'm not saying that Manicorn simply parodies the great range and nuances of 60s and 70s pop-rock (although the album begins with "An Idea," a track whose first line name-checks John and Paul before clarifying, "...The Beatles," as if Manicorn knows more than we do). In fact, most tracks pay homage without devolving into pantomime. Much of this is due to commitment to the genre and what is obviously a true and deep love for the aforementioned Beatles, as well as (I imagine) Zeppelin, the Stones, and the Beach Boys among countless others. It's a pleasing pastiche, occasionally even coalescing into something more than that. Standouts include "Wild As A Dingo" and "Lighten Up," functioning as a duo with infectious energy and whiplash-inducing tone shifts that blur the line between the two tracks. "Di Di Du Du Di" hits the surf rock section of the record store while "Cheap Talk" and "The Doctor" are all Jagger swagger and Bonham stomp. That's the beauty of rock and roll in general: it's a tried and true formula with it's own language and signifiers, but with a little bit of persuasion (and some background beatboxing to lighten the mood) it can reawaken and transcend beyond what our moms and dads might recognize as their own childhoods into something uniquely suited to the 21st century.

Finally, I wouldn't be surprised if the closer "Bonus Track" isn't so named as yet another jab at the many shortcomings of rock stardom that Manicorn is able to circumvent by virtue of allowing a discerning Bandcamp listener to name their price. Pay what you will, you'll still get "Bonus Track," a goofy mash-up of Marley riddims and Dylan cadences that serves as an oddly refreshing palate cleanser--one last wink to camera that earns a laugh while still worming its way into your brain surprisingly easily despite all the thrash and clash of the preceding ten tracks. The reggae route proves that an idea to write a song for John and Paul can lead beyond simple pop hooks or technical noodling. Rock and roll's reputation precedes itself, and We're Manicorn gives an all-too-brief history of that reputation in all of its different permutations.

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Available via Bandcamp, or on vinyl if you travel back in time to 1973.