The indie rock world is abuzz in the wake of Manning Fireworks, the newest release from Asheville musician MJ Lenderman. The album has been hailed for its folkish approach to lyricism—replete with “pure losers, divorcés, badgering or self-effacing romantics,” as Jeremy D. Larson writes for Pitchfork—and its possession of a certain slacker country je ne sais quoi. Everything seems to be injected with a humorous, lackadaisical charm, a cohesiveness reflected in the fact that Lenderman plays almost every instrument on the record. Though amusing lyrical jabs like “I’ve got a houseboat docked at the Himbo Dome” and “He’s just a jerk who flirts with the clergy nurse ‘til it burns” are in abundance on Manning Fireworks, Lenderman is doing more than poking fun, cutting things with disguised jabs of earnestness at every turn. MJ Lenderman is also known for his work in twangy indie rock band Wednesday, which played a sold-out show at 40 Watt Club last February.
WHO: MJ Lenderman & The Wind
WHEN: Friday, Jan. 31, 7 p.m. (doors)
WHERE: 40 Watt Club
HOW MUCH: SOLD OUT!
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