Search - Man of the Year :: A New & Greater Tokyo

Timothy W. (superbuck) from ARCATA, CA
Reviewed on 7/30/2007...

from Hybridmagazine.com:

Simply brilliant pop rock and roll music. That is precisely what the new record from Man Of The Year consists of. This is music that will immediately have you tapping your toe and bobbing your head along to the delicious grooves. There are traces of decades worth of sublime rock music that wind their way into the album, song by song, line by line, riff by riff. Additionally, A New And Greater Tokyo neatly merges the world of semi-modern American pop with the ethics of 90's Britpop. The album is filled with lusciously sparse songs that have just the right amount of stuff happening to keep the ear of the listener interested and keep the mind constantly in motion with the music.

"Western Sun" is a near-Americana tune that makes for a perfect introduction to an album's worth of fine material. "Thank Your Stars" is chock-full of thick guitar lines that stand out brilliantly from the mish mash of most current rock, recalling the early days of Teenage Fanclub and their ilk. But at the same time, the songs are poppy and endearing in the way that early (read: good) Weezer records were embedded into the mainstream conscience. MOTY's lyrics are clever and catchy, words that you'll find yourself humming and phrasing days after listening to the record. Slower songs like "Lime Green" and "Too Late" are full of beautiful melodies and smart arrangements that perfectly showcase the dynamic abilities of the band… and some tres cool organ playing. The analog synths of "Mucho Macho" carry the song along an entirely different plane than any of the previous tunes, revealing the depths of sonic mastery that the band has developed and pulls off, making it seem so easy.

Tired of run-of-the-mill rock music? Had enough of the emo wash of whiny nonsense? Turn around and take a listen to Man Of The Year. You have my personal guarantee that you will be 100% satisfied, or I'll eat this review.

Rock is now spelled M O T Y.

pirate_ninja | 01/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"All I have to say is, if these guys don't make it big with their music, then nobody should. One of the best bands to come out of the northwest. Awesome lyrics, awesome music. Rock on Man of the year!"