Mannequin Men

Lose Your Illusion, Too (Flameshovel)

By Karen Choy
Published: June 25th, 2009 | 7:00am

Mannequin Men get a lot of comparisons to the Replacements, and with a Paul Westerberg–sounding singer and songs like "(Who Is) Alice Golden?" and "Kinda Babes," it's easy to see why.

Yet this Chicago foursome's new full-length, Lose Your Illusion, Too, has some nice surprises — like the knockout track "Massage," which features instrumentals that sound like the Clean and a simple, catchy chorus. Another notable addition is the opening track, "Rathole"; with its fast-paced, snarly guitars and group choruses, it is reminiscent of Wire.

Lyrically, vocalist-guitarist Kevin Richard sings about pedestrian, run-of-the-mill stuff: mysterious, mean girlfriends and wasting time and money on videogames, cigarettes, and the Internet. The band has an aptitude for writing strong hooks, ensuring that the songs will stick in your head long after the record's been put away or the iPod's been turned off. They also earn major points for closing the album with an enthusiastic cover of the Pagans' "(Us and) All Our Friends Are So Messed Up."

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