MJ Lenderman has been a core part of the American indie rock landscape for a decade now. A key member of Wednesday, he’s also spent time with Indigo De Souza, while his own solo catalogue is well worth exploring. ‘Manning Fireworks’ – his fourth solo LP – could be the point where MJ Lenderman is placed firmly centre-stage: a riveting song cycle, it’s tight-but-loose feel and lyrical introspection feels perfect for Autumn listening.
Laid down at Asheville’s Drop Of Sun and co-produced with Alex Farrar, MJ Lenderman seems to have aimed for comfort. Certainly, the performances are of a vocalist at ease – the songs at times play themselves, the audio congeniality making for a soothing experience.
‘Manning Fireworks’ eases you in, before the powerful poetics of ‘Joker Lips’ ramp up the energy. It’s reminiscent of ‘Harvest’ in its execution, something echoed by the up-tempo strut of ‘Rudolph’.
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Splicing together aspects of Americana with modern currents within indie rock, the raw crunch present in ‘Wristwatch’ is anthemic, bleeding into the lovelorn paean that is ‘She’s Leaving You’.
It’s not all introspection, however. The raunchy hoe-down that permeates ‘You Don’t Know’ feels like a Big Thief party-time favourite, while the pleading ‘On My Knees’ lets the tones bleed out into the red.
Closer ‘Bark At The Moon’ finds MJ Lenderman cut adrift and free, with the song boasting a magnetic Crazy Horse style looseness to it.
Arriving as the leaves crisp and fall, with the temperatures dropping just a tad, ‘Manning Fireworks’ has conjured an excellent sense of timing. Matching warming sonics to potent lyricism, it balances the communal, sometimes jam-like nature of the songwriting with a pointed sense of introspection. Blurring the lines between inner and outer worlds, ‘Manning Fireworks’ is a powerful achievement, one that deserves to last.
8/10
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Words: Robin Murray
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