THE BAND
man or fire is or was a rock band, maybe from Kansas City. I first heard of them through a friend. My friend met them on AOL Instant Messenger when he was in high school. I think the band name is man on fire but misspelled.
THE ALBUM
Their only release I know of is an album called mao zedong u da bomb, put out by Sex Jamz in 2007 on tape and CD-R. (It is now available for download on mp3 from their Bandcamp page.) Sex Jamz is or was based in Hope Falls, NC. They maybe also put out albums by Raleigh bands Like Hell I Will and The Drowsies.
THE TRACKLIST
- goin away (1:08)
- whos there (0:36)
- wut wut (0:36)
- mad dad (0:26)
- we ruel (0:54)
- dragen ball z (0:54)
- seann (xian) sawng (0:34)
WHAT THE SONGS SOUND LIKE
The album is pretty lofi. It sounds like it might have been recorded live in a room with a boombox or something.
The first song is the longest song. “goin away” song opens with a drum roll. One guitar plays chords and the other is reserved for making feedback squeals.There are two or more people singing in unison. It’s hard to understand any of the words.
It sounds like they got a cymbal for “whos there.” The chords-squeals division of labor between the guitarists seems to be maintained. This song probably has the strongest hook on the album. This song is basically just the hook played two times and then there’s a different part and then the hook two more times with a little thing at the end. This is what I imagine Oi! punk is.
“wut wut” is vocal and guitar duet. It seems like it was a warm-up exercise that become a song later, like “Sweet Child o Mine” by Guns N Roses.
“mad dad” is just another punk song, I guess.
“we ruel” is one of the most hard-hitting tracks. It’s like a straight-forward hardcore song. At the end there’s some siren sound effects.
“dragen ball z” is a stripped-down piece. It’s instrumental except for some quiet wailing in the background during the first half. It shows great sadness tinged with nostalgia. At the end there is a little stumbling coda.
“seann (xian) sawng” finishes off the album. It is pretty raw. There is an energetic little stop-time section. It ends with like a primal roar.
CONCLUSION
mao zedong u da bomb is maybe a perfect time capsule for mid-late 2000s post-lofi Midwestern hardcore. 7.3 pitchforks out of 10.0 pitchforks.
