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The Mannequin Men's mission is to bring back the aggressive and intelligent punk sound that ruled in the genre's second wave of bands that came around from roughly 1978-1982, right before the genre became more or less codified. Guitars loudly churn over each other while Seth Bohn aggressively pounds his drums, giving the Mannequin Men's music a truly ripping sound like "Damaged"-era Black Flag. In addition, Kevin Kujawa's in-your-face vocal style encompasses influences from Ian MacKaye to Wire to bands like Sham 69 and early US hard-core bands (especially the kind found on SST Records). Even the album cover looks like it comes from another era. Sometimes the lyrics get too obnoxiously smart-assed, and the tunes aren't alway memorable, but I give The Mannequin Men credit for authentically capturing the look and feel of a group of bands that doesn't get enough respect for their contributions to alternative music's sound and asthetic. Of course, if you haven't heard of the bands they're influenced by, then check them out first. But if you're a fan of the bands that did this first, the Mannequin Men might be the band for you.
DAVID MANSDORF
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