Man Or Astro-Man? Defcon 5...4...3...2...1 >> is out today after a nearly 12-year hiatus and now MOAM? is back with an astro-load of intergalactic energy and a new album out of this fucking world.
A few weeks ago I got to check out Man Or Astro-Man? in Phoenix when they opened for Ra Ra Riot at Crescent Ballroom. That show was great mainly because they warmed it up nicely and very loudly with space jams, galactic countdown interludes and pyrotechnic instruments. I arrived at the show not knowing a thing about MOAM? and left in such curious awe that I had to dig into them and see what's up.
I have been astro-blasting this latest launch Defcon 5...4...3...2...1 pretty much nonstop for the last 4 days, that is, in between plays of Random Access Memories by Daft Punk which is also out today. Just like their show, it's spectacularly loud and features a surf rock sound that has been seemingly reinvented into a modern psychobilly punk motif. It's like Dick Dale got in a space suit and joined Agent Orange then got The Living End to navigate the shuttle around the galaxy. It also sounds like the album features more instruments than what I saw the foursome playing on stage earlier this month. There's also a lot more cool Defcon-ic sound effects in the layered in there too.
The vocals are scarce throughout the album, which isn't a bad thing because the abundant jam sequences are captivating. I wish there were more vocals though. The lead singer has a familiarly interesting voice that I hoped would be featured more. I also would like singing along in my car a little more instead of air-strumming and drumming my steering wheel like a madman around the desert. Oh well, that's their thing and it's certainly working.
I totally recommend picking this album up. The vibe aligns with whatever you have going on this summer from the beach to outer space and just in time for Memorial Weekend, what better way to get familiar with what should be a staple soundtrack of the solstice. The countdown begins now.
Track Listing: Defcon 5 * Antimatter Man * All Systems to Go * Disintegrate * Defcon 4 * Codebreaker Seventy Eight * Communication Breakdown Pt. II * Defcon 3 * Electric Arc * Defcon 2 * New Cocoon * Defcon 1
marc
