MAN/WOMAN/CHAINSAW - ALBUM REVIEW

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Man/Woman/Chainsaw - Cannonball (Fiction 
Records/Universal)

Release Date: Out Now

I'm still catching up on a whole bunch of summer releases and one that simply cannot pass unmentioned is the audacious new album from hot young things Man/Woman/Chainsaw. 'Cannonball' opens in the most spectacular fashion with 'Only Girl' and you feel like you've found your way into a secret garden through a hole in the hedge where acrobats twirl, fireworks explode and the atmosphere is generally giddy. 'Canyons' follows on with a more subdued energy as the piano and vocals brood before exploding into a thousand pieces in the chorus and by this point you become very aware that you are in the presence of a work of undiluted genius.

The brilliantly titled 'Goddamn, Lizard Man!' stutters into life before lurching along to the bass and drums combination while Billy Ward does his best Nick Cave on vocal duties. The Tori Amos brood of 'Lighter' slowly swells into something more akin to Evanescence while 'Nosedive' matches the rippling synths of New Order with slithering violins and vocal harmonies that really hit the spot. The sci-fi meets poltergeist opening tones of 'Get Up And Dance' are paired with a darker version of Lily Allen's vocal before self-inflating with the kind of energy that has so much anticipatory electricity you could probably power Oxford for a week. 
 
I'm not sure if 'Snakebite' is an ode to student drinking culture or something more reptilian but either way it's a short, sweet and languid poem on heartbreak and lingering affection. The dramatic tones of 'Flick Of The Wrist' are akin to Erotic Secrets of Pompeii as the piano is played with Vaudevillian mastery and the violins add a sense of Agatha Christie-esque intrigue. The dark, angry and unfiltered vibe of 'The Thing' is closer to Silverchair or early Shihad but somehow they still manage to wrestle in some macabre tones with the vocal harmonies. 

As we approach the denouement of the album we are treated to 'Still Angry' which sees the rage of youth burst through the intricately layered music and it works so brilliantly you'll want to hit that repeat button more than once. We close out on 'Something Else To Give' with a shuffling beat, skittish violins and the kind of build that will have live audiences enthralled and entranced in equal measure. The mastery of music, emotion and song craft on this album is beyond anything else I've heard this year and the sheer heft of this record is stunning in the most extreme sense of the word. Oh, and did I mention that this is their debut album? Six people, five of whom went to school together, exploring a world of music with, seemingly, a complete lack of boundaries. This is what makes living worthwhile. 



Live Dates: 

September

Sat 19 – Belfast, UK – Ulster Sports Club
Sun 20 – Dublin, IE – Whelan’s
Tue 22 – Manchester, UK – Gorilla
Wed 23 – Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club (SOLD OUT)
Thu 24 – Newcastle, UK – The Grove
Fri 25 – Glasgow, UK – King Tut’s (SOLD OUT)
Sat 26 – Sheffield, UK – Float Along Festival
Tue 29 – Guildford, UK – The Boileroom
Wed 30 – Brighton, UK – Concorde 2

October

Thu 1 – Portsmouth, UK – The Wedgewood Rooms
Fri 2 – Bristol, UK – Thekla (SOLD OUT)
Sat 3 – Cardiff, UK – The Globe
Mon 5 – Nottingham, UK – Rescue Rooms
Tue 6 – Birmingham, UK – Hare & Hounds (SOLD OUT)
Wed 7 – London, UK – Electric Ballroom
Oct 29 – USA, New York, NY – Night Club 101 (SOLD OUT)
Oct 30 – USA, New York, NY – Union Pool

November

Nov 2 – USA, Chicago, IL – Schubas
Nov 4 – USA, Los Angeles, CA – The Echo