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Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Man Called Noon - Everybody Move (2017)





Written by Jay Snyder, posted by blog admin

Windy City alt-indie rockers Man Called Noon return with a brand new EP, Everybody Move.  Adding a new member in Nathan Crone (keys and auxiliary instruments) has deepened the band’s pulsating, dance-y grooves tenfold and the three tracks here exhibit much growth from their second full-length The Bad Guy.  Each cut thrives on spirited and highly energetic instrumentation led by a punchy rhythm section and a low, buzzing new wave synth frequency that pushes the band’s big chorus hooks to the forefront to make it all the more memorable. 

The title track starts thing off with a steady ready upbeat guitar riff played out over a lockstep drum beat and taut bass lines.  Lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Anthony Giamichael’s higher register croon fills the song with a smooth focal point melody that builds up to a stellar chorus pay-off that’s made even sweeter thanks to Erin Piortrowski’s slick harmony vocals.  Lyrically, the message celebrates life, love and good times by inciting the listener to move and live to the music and the overall human experience.  A searing late game guitar solo explodes like dynamite atop drummer Josh Fontenot’s rousing forward pushing beat.  There are touches of pop punk, new wave, indie, dance music and r & b.  The mixture brewed in the songwriting always goes for a fresh and original approach to the type of music that the group favors.  A ragtime piano is the icing on the cake of this excellent track.  “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” relies on a bass-y, fuzzy lead keyboard riff that alternates with the cascading guitar licks and a driving low end throb.  There’s little time for balladry, boredom or slow tempo drudgery as the band is always operating on high octane.  Again the sugar sweet, dueling male/female vocal counterpoints craft a song that you’ll immediately want to sing-a-long to.  The guitar work even incorporates influences as disparate as jangly funk pattern into this rich sonic melting pot.  Closer “One Last Ride” runs a catchy punk rock guitar hook up and down the fret board.  It collides into a bass groove that’s got energy and bravado to match its 6-string counterpart.  Giamichael attacks the vocal line with some gritty snarl and drawl while the music’s pounding, hypnotic repetitions give way to full-fronted aural charge that keeps the pacing on high and the vocal trades in the limelight of the band’s palette.  The formula maybe simple on this tune but simple formula’s applied and layered effectively make for great pop music and although pop might be a huge influence on this music, Man Called Noon deliver their material with an edgy panache that never lays back (Piortrowski’s soulful howling back-up vocals are a serious aggressive high-point).  These cats know how to attack and strike; it makes their songwriting far more memorable than lesser bands of a similar ilk.

Everybody Move is an excellent EP with three great songs that you’ll have on repeat for quite some time to come.  It showcases a band at the height of a serious growth spurt.  Man Called Noon just keeps getting better and better with this quick platter containing some of their very best work to date.

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