"Brass Knuckles" by Man Made Moon
Review
After the deserved success of Man Made Moon's recent single "McNultys Bar", their dynamic singles campaign will move onto number two, "Brass Knuckles" on November 15th.
If the current single made its mark by being so very different both from their previous music and from what people may have expected, then the next one heads off in another direction altogether.
A slow burning soul number, "Brass Knuckles" shares some of Man Made Moon's trademark intensity yet is more sinewy than their ethereal extra-terrestrial approach to emotions has hitherto been. Whether the muscular artwork (again courtesy of Greengaia) is a nod towards this or the subject matter, I cannot say.
It's sinuous too: while the arrangement is robust (you can taste the sweat) and takes the song to a much more rocky place than usual, it is clear that all concerned (included an excellent guitar solo) are following the bass line: even if ironically that instrument isn't mixed terribly high.
This sort of emoting is hard to pull off convincingly: while striving for communication of profound feelings, artists can go too far and end up with over the top histrionics which persuade no-one of their honesty. This is a real bête noire for me as a reviewer & tends to turn me away from reviewing the offending items at all.
Where Man Made Moon score in this respect is by drawing on their past material: people who have heard their previous songs & recognised their integrity will trust them emotionally now they have gone more full-on. Had this been a debut single, then that element would not have been in place, so the transition in sound & style has been well sequenced.
Obviously having a soul song that listeners will invest in needs more than just the playing & singing: it needs a subject of the necessary intensity too. "Brass Knuckles" (and the title points you in the right direction before you start) is quite a twisted & dark love song: one lyric is that the narrator "feel(s) so much better now: the pill's kicked". That I think encapsulates the gist neatly. I think you can put it down to the torment & deeper pits of despair that walk hand in hand with romantic/carnal attraction all too often.
The band seem to be relishing stretching their wings in these new songs (which is great to notice) and rigid adherence even to a trademark style leads to diminishing returns in time. I suppose the band may revert, or go with either of the two directions they've teased of late: my guess is that they'll embrace a wide range of styles & use whichever one best suits whatever song they are working on at a particular time.
