"The Boy Who Fell To Earth" by Man Made Moon
Review
After their triple whammy of singles in late 2024 ("McNultys Bar", "Brass Knuckles" and "Tell Me When I'm Dead") Man Made Moon are back on September 4th with their latest, namely "The Boy Who Fell To Earth".
Despite the successful exploration of non-space related themes, the band have come back to the one which not only defined their name & early work, but which crops up regularly in their body of work. Which of course strengthens their brand but is also clearly evidence too of where their hearts are (I should mention however that it's not an obsession: I have heard other new songs & they are far from all set in space).
The title may well, as it did me, suggest some sort of Bowie inspiration to you but if it's in there, it's buried quite deep. The music certainly is more in keeping with what they tend to do rather than his and feeling is more humane than dystopian nor alienated.
In fact the song reveals itself to be more of a clever play on their reputation (well done Man Made Moon): you may expect Thomas Jerome Newton crash landing but as we all know, we can fall to earth through regret and guilt without having to begin our descent from outside the atmosphere nor do it in a spacecraft.
The band do the ethereal well but this is one of the ones they do which can be tagged as "jaunty", a mood which plays nicely against any sense of remorsefulness.
In fact I'm trying to think of another track by the band which makes quite the same balance between guitars (which in this instance drive the tune along well) and keyboards which take centre stage in terms of the detailed elements of the arrangement. To be fair, unlike many bands where some particular asset in the lineup tends to ensure that it's more prominent in order to play to strengths, Man Made Moon have always been a democratic ensemble in terms of arrangements: this however might be the epitome of their achieving this.
The band seem to oscillate between playing outdoors & in confined spaces so their various songs probably work to their best in one extreme or another, but "The Boy Who Fell To Earth" seems set fair to work its charms in most live settings. And for those who listen beyond the obvious opportunity to have a little dance, there are the usual quality of thoughtful, grown up lyrics to leave an impression on the mind as well as the feet.
And listen out for more Man Made Moon music in the weeks to come….
