What sets MJ Lenderman apart from his peers is the ability to juggle cynicism with sincerity, and balance sadness with wit. There’s much truth to what he chooses to vocalize; In the midst of entertaining us with his signature humorous plays-on-words, there’s an increased rawness to his songwriting in Manning Fireworks. Lenderman is able to balance human existential absurdity to his own life against music that has a solid, grounding effect. The result? A piece of work that sucks you in and lets you know it wants to make a connection. Cleverly (and effortlessly), Lenderman is talented enough to avoid the trappings of falling prey to “cool guy aesthetics” drowning in its own thematic self-referential irony.
An instant classic, Manning Fireworks is MJ Lenderman’s fourth full-length and studio debut for ANTI- records. It was recorded in between breaks on the road, at Asheville’s Drop of Sun over several four-day stints in the studio with producer Alex Farrar.
The opening and title track “Manning Fireworks” sets the tone with teetering guitar and bass. The first lines are characteristic of MJ Lenderman’s hyper-descriptive style, instantly painting a picture and setting the scene for the album to follow. The following four tracks have already been released previously as singles, but in context of the album there’s a definite vision and seamless cohesiveness established. The uneasy confrontation of habitually making everything into a joke to hide emotion is described in “Joker Lips.” “Rudolph” brings on the charm of the pedal steel while painting an entertaining picture of Rudolph getting hit by (a possibly inebriated) Lightning McQueen from Cars. “Wristwatch” is a snarky commentary on hustle culture, and how working hard to buy material items ultimately turns into loneliness. When the single for “She’s Leaving You” released, it climbed very quickly to the top of MJ Lenderman’s charts, it makes for a perfect track placed dead-center in the album.
“Rip Torn” is a country-leaning ballad full of emotion and somber fiddles. In such a serious track, MJ Lenderman still doesn’t stray from sprinkling in another pop culture reference; “there’s men and then there’s movies… and there’s men and Men In Black.” The following track has a buoyancy to it, layered with instrumental texture. Through this lens, it feels aptly titled “You Don’t Know The Shape I’m In” as the lyrics explain the subtleties of being broken-hearted in a world that unwittingly continues onward. “On My Knees” expands upon and slightly resolves this thought bubble. The closing track “Bark At The Moon” provides a driving forward .. ends with a droning ambiance that lasts for nearly 6 minutes, easing you out of the album.
Listen to Manning Fireworks below:
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Expect to see MJ Lenderman at a venue near you, they’re traveling all across the US and UK over the next several months. Many, many dates below:
MJ Lenderman Tour Dates
Thu. Sept. 5 – Sat. Sept. 7 – Raleigh, NC @ Hopscotch Music Festival
Wed. Sept. 18 – Nashville, TN @ Blue Room at Third Man % [SOLD OUT]
Thu. Sept. 19 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East (ANTI- Showcase at Americanafest)
Thu. Oct. 3 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West &
Fri. Oct. 4 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West & [SOLD OUT]
Sat. Oct. 5 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East & [SOLD OUT]
Sun. Oct. 6 – Knoxville, TN @ Bijou Theater &
Mon. Oct. 7 – Louisville, KY @ Whirling Tiger &
Tue. Oct. 8 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway & [SOLD OUT]
Thu. Oct. 10 – Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room &
Fri. Oct. 11 – Iowa City, IA @ Gabe’s &
Sat. Oct. 12 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue &
Sun. Oct. 13 – Eau Claire, WI @ Stones Throw & [SOLD OUT]
Mon. Oct. 14 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall &
Wed. Oct. 16 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall & [SOLD OUT]
Thu. Oct. 17 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall & [SOLD OUT]
Fri. Oct. 18 – Detroit, MI @ El Club & [SOLD OUT]
Sat. Oct. 19 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace & [SOLD OUT]
Mon. Oct. 21 – Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount &
Tue. Oct. 22 – Boston, MA @ The Royale & [SOLD OUT]
Thu. Oct. 24 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer & [SOLD OUT]
Fri. Oct. 25 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg & [SOLD OUT]
Sat. Oct. 26 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg & [SOLD OUT]
Sun. Oct. 27 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg & [SOLD OUT]
Tue. Oct. 29 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird Music Hall & [SOLD OUT]
Wed. Oct. 30 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club & [SOLD OUT]
Fri. Nov. 1 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel &
Mon. Nov. 11 – Berlin, DE @ Privatclub ~
Tues. Nov. 12 – Hamburg, DE @ Hafenklang ~
Thu. Nov. 14 – Amsterdam, NL @ Bitterzoet
Fri. Nov. 15 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique Witloof Bar
Sat. Nov. 16 – Paris, FR @ Point Ephemere ~
Mon. Nov. 18 – London, UK @ The Garage ~ [SOLD OUT]
Tue. Nov. 19 – London, UK @ The Garage ~ [SOLD OUT]
Thu. Nov. 21 – Manchester, UK @ YES Pink Room ~ [SOLD OUT]
Fri. Nov. 22 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club ~ [SOLD OUT]
Sat. Nov. 23 – Dublin, IE @ Workman’s Club ~ [SOLD OUT]
Sun. Nov. 24 – Dublin, IE @ Whelan’s ~
Wed. Jan. 29 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle ^
Thu. Jan. 30 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle ^
Fri. Jan. 31 – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt ^
Sat. Feb. 1 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn ^
Sun. Feb. 2 – Oxford, MS @ Proud Larry’s ^
Tue. Feb. 4 – New Orleans, LA @ Tipitina’s ^
Wed. Feb. 5 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall (Upstairs) ^
Thu. Feb. 6 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s ^
Sat. Feb. 8 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Beer City Music Hall ^
Mon. Feb. 10 – Santa Fe, NM @ Tumbleroot ^
Tue. Feb. 11 – Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole ^
Thu. Feb. 13 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda ^
Fri. Feb. 14 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda ^
Sat. Feb. 15 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Rio Theatre ^
Mon. Feb. 17 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent ^
Tue. Feb. 18 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent ^
Thu. Feb. 20 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall ^
Fri. Feb. 21 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre ^
Sat. Feb. 22 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre ^
Sun. Feb. 23 – Boise ID @ Shrine Ballroom ^
Mon. Feb. 24 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell ^
Wed. Feb. 26 – Fort Collins, CO @ The Aggie ^
Thu. Feb. 27 – Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre ^
Fri. Feb. 28 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theatre ^
Sat. Mar. 1 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep ^
Mon. Mar. 3 – Lawrence, KS @ Bottleneck ^
Tue. Mar. 4 – Urbana, IL @ Rose Bowl Tavern ^
Thu. Mar. 6 – Lexington, KY @ Green Lantern ^
Fri. Mar. 7 – Lexington, KY @ Green Lantern ^
Tue. Apr. 29 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel $
Wed. Apr. 30 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel #
% Solo w/ Karly Hartzman
& w/ Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band
~ w/ Hollow Hand
^ w/ Wild Pink
$ w/ This is Lorelei
# w/ Nap Eyes
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