Man Man

9 p.m. Monday, October 20. The Bluebird, 2706 Olive Street.

Oct 15, 2008 at 4:00 am

Philadelphia's Man Man exists on the blurred dividing line between indie and experimental music. The band has a thick, unpredictable, lurching, jazzy burlesque-music sound without being too cacophonous or abrasive — meaning its music feels more like the product of a punk rock orchestra than a rock band. But Man Man somehow manages to avoid being too "art school," even if its members perform in all-white outfits using stage names (i.e. "Pow Pow" and "Wang Chang") and frequently sport face paint. Its new album, Rabbit Habits, has more of a swinging-circus sound than the band's previous efforts, complete with gravel-throated singing and an unceasing throbbing backbeat, reminiscent of our own local Casey Reid.