A Few Thoughts on Manning Fireworks

by editor Michele Catalano

Effortlessly cool. That’s the only way I know how to describe MJ Lenderman. Maybe aloof is also a good word. He projects an air of vulnerability but does a good job of covering that up with his songs. But goddamn it, he is so cool.

Here’s the thing about Manning Fireworks: It’s a perfect album. Not only is it perfect, it is also clean. And by that I mean I have no emotional ties to it. There’s no story to go along with it. There’s no trauma embedded in the songs. No drama. No tears. There’s just nine perfect songs played out over 38 perfect minutes. Lenderman is, indeed, effortlessly cool here. He is aloof. He is everything I was looking for in an artist but didn’t know I needed, until I heard Manning Fireworks. I loved Boat Songs before it, but this one hit me in all the right places.

That I have no story to tell with this album doesn’t mean I don’t want to write about it. I want to shout about it from every corner of the universe. I want people to listen and love it like I do. That’s it, I just want you all to know that MJ Lenderman’s Manning Fireworks exists and should be listened to.

Not every album is going to get a heartfelt essay; as is the case here, there are some albums that just transcend discourse.

Instead, I have this for you:

The best MJ Lenderman lines from each song on Manning Fireworks:

Manning Fireworks - Once a perfect little baby / Who’s now a jerk

Joker Lips - Please don’t laugh, only half of what i said was joke

Rudolph - Deleted scene of Lightning McQueen / Blacked out at full speed

Wristwatch - And a wristwatch that / Tells me I’m on my own

She’s Leaving You - And though you know what is implied when your room is free / You’re feeling lucky

Rip Torn - Passed out in your Lucky Charms / Lucky doesn’t mean much

You Don’t Know the Shape I’m in - Everybody’s walking in twos / Leaving Noah’s Ark

On My Knees - Is it the quiet hiss of a midnight piss / Or a river turned to creek?

Bark at the Moon - Awooo

The best compliment I can give goes to Manning Fireworks: I am genuinely disappointed when the album ends. I want it to go on forever. Now go forth and enjoy the fireworks.

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