CD Review: Man Factory, Dopes on a Rope Collection

by Brent Herndon

I had the pleasure of seeing Man Factory recently perform live at The Cavern, and though they were the opening act, I was terribly impressed with their sound. With a name like “Man Factory” you might expect some sort of hard rock or a dark industrial sound, but they are somewhat the opposite. There's even a girl in the band. Imagine a more upbeat Death Cab for Cutie, a younger version of Bright Eyes and Jason Mraz performing as musical guest on Barney. Take for example these lyrics to their song “Iced Creame”:

And it's too bad I don't have any money

I know where we can get some great ice cream

Over in Egypt! Capitol Cairo!

One way ticket, but don't say you won't go!

They have great ice cream, no I'm not kidding,

Hieroglyphics have shown me in my dreams!

Lyrically, Man Factory is silly and witty for the most part. But combined with a catchy, indie-pop sound, you may find yourself singing along. On their latest CD, Dopes on a Rope Collection, the band's beautifully depressing “Hijole, Mi Futura,” exemplifies a generation unsure of what the future holds for them. Another catchy tune, the hypnotically synth driven “Chun Li (I'm Lovin' It),” is either about breaking up or international terrorism.

Their sound is distinct and highly enjoyable, though at times leading elsewhere, such as “Carl Jones (You're Not Alone),” which could very well be confused as a track from the Ben Folds’s Rockin' the Suburbs. Plenty of their songs are about being young: “Damn Dinosaurs,” which deals with being late to class, and “Carnage,” an ode to Halo (the PS2 game). It's obvious the band is maturing, though, as their most recent tunes show more complexity in both lyric and sound.

The real treat of the album is “One on None,” which is probably the catchiest song I've heard come out of indie rock in a long time. It's about basketball and being single. Man Factory opened with “One on None" at the performance I saw and immediately drew my attention. Listen to it, but be warned, you'll be humming it for the rest of the day.

Man Factory is great entertainment live as well: cracking jokes on stage, asking the audience, “What should we play next?!" and paying homage to themselves – by singing about themselves. They don't take themselves too seriously, have fun on stage and play great music. See what the buzz is about.