Honus Honus
Use Your Delusion
(Self-Release)
Honus Honus (Ryan Kattner) is probably best known for being the charismatic voice and piano smasher of the carnival-esque Philly band, Man Man. Man Man’s music is an exercise in orchestrated chaos, and much of what keeps that chaos together is Honus Honus’ distinct vocal style – a mix of hoarse shouting and mournful crooning. His piano playing is equally important – it has a punk aggression crossed with a subtle shade of melancholy. It stands to reason that these defining characteristics of Man Man might transfer over in some way to Honus Honus’ first-ever solo effort, Use Your Delusion. While there are unmistakable qualities of his Man Man sound (most notably his dark sense of humor), Honus’ solo work takes a step in an intentionally different direction. Or, depending how you listen to it, several directions. Honus has spoken about Los Angeles being a major influence, and his hopes in creating an “apocalyptic LA pop” album. So, does he pull it off?
The answer is mostly, but there is room for improvement. At its best, Use Your Delusion has moments of brilliance and oddball goodness. “Vampires in the Valley” and “The Stripper Has No Navel” open the album as a strong pair, and probably sound the most similar to Honus’ Man Man sound. “Heavy Jesus” has a chorus begging to be sung with the windows down while driving the 405. Each track is constantly introducing a new set of synth textures that are all firing at once. Some are designed specifically to evoke the cheese of 80s summer pop, while others are a bit more exploratory and new territory for Honus. Tracks like “Midnight Caller,” “Melted Dice,” and “Raspberry” put the diversity of sounds on full display, and the result can sometimes be a kaleidoscope of fun noises. “Santa Monica” hits a genuine groove with the female guest vocalist adding some new flavor and introspection to the usual dynamic. Unfortunately, a handful of the standout moments are undercut by moments that seem to be just okay. There’s nothing wrong with “just okay” but, considering the ambition of Honus’ musical past, I can’t help but expect a little more from some of these tracks. The track “Oh, No!” features catchy falsetto vocals and trippy synth sounds, but the dynamics don’t change much. This can also be heard in “Midnight Caller” – there is definitely groove, but things run at the same speed pretty much all the way through. Good pop music is all about dynamic payoff – the verses and choruses are supposed to work together to get that sing-along catharsis. Honus Honus is usually excellent at hitting that sweet spot, but it seems to be almost missing from these tracks. “Red Velvet” recalls some of Man Man’s darker sounds but with an unexpected onslaught of trash drums and growls. This feels a bit out of left field, considering the pop angle Honus aims for during most of the album up to that point. A handful of shorter tracks dotted throughout the album take similar detours before whirling back onto the apocalyptic pop freeway. Some of these work (see “Will You”), but others feel a bit like undeveloped checkpoints.
Incidentally, Use Your Delusion’s seemingly sudden off-ramps and inconsistencies could be symbolic of the many faces of Los Angeles. The city itself acts much like a petri dish for various art and music scenes to intermingle in, and Honus Honus’ style has always been a similar Frankenstein’s monster of influences. It’s the kind of genre subversion that Man Man is known for, and perhaps that is what is truly at work here. Or that could all be wrong, and Honus Honus is just trying to make weird pop music wherein he sings about a woman seeing Jesus Christ on her quesadilla. Honestly, that wouldn’t be the worst thing. At the end of the day, it is refreshing to hear Honus Honus in a new context, and Use Your Delusion is a decent attempt at trying something new.
Purchase Use Your Delusion here.
