MAN/MIRACLE – The Shape of Things

Man/Miracle is a rock band, an unapologetic, beer-swilling, hot-blooded, blues n’ druids rock band. They write songs about pain, misery, and no-good women, and their debut album The Shape of Things is frontloaded with record-collector classics like Mott the Hoople, Love, and Os Mutantes. None of that lily-livered, Sufjan-brand Ivy League orchestral stuff the indie scene has become increasingly devoted to; these songs are lovelorn in their most pure, un-coquettish form. Take opener “Above the Salon,” whose callow, rain-slicked guitar and pitter-patter drums unabashedly acknowledge the overlords of Creedance, Zep, Floyd, with remarkable transparency: “So much I miss about you/so much I miss about you” the mantra continues — no wordplay, no tongue-flicked metaphors or sardonic quips, just real, raw pain.

When they’re not embracing the devilish and vaguely misogynistic side of their pain, they’re focusing on the far, flower-haired side of boomer-rock lore; the reviled (and honestly misrepresented) jam band. Quite a few of the tracks are simple instrumental noodling that range from catchy to utterly aimless. C’mon guys, I know it might be tempting to embrace your inner Dead, but it brings your record down as a whole; stick to the basics, we promise we won’t judge you, because despite our highbrow cred, we keep Highway to Hell tucked under the sofa, just like you do.

(Third Culture Records, 853 Wignet Lane, Walnut Creek, CA 94598)