Manning Fireworks (CD)

Those who caught MJ Lenderman's surprise show at Whammy Bar earlier this year will attest, this is an artist who is on fire, with plenty of fuel left to burn. Lenderman flew more or less direct from Auckland to go and film the unforgettable Waxahatchee duet performance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, further solidifying his place in our hall of favourites. Now, MJ has announced his new album on ANTI-, Manning Fireworks, a simple-hearted work of wide-eyed genius that swings and swaggers from lo-fi crackle to full-blown guitar jams of Crazy Horse proportions. Get. On. Board. - Flying Out

MJ Lenderman is a songwriter born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. The anatomy of an MJ record might go something like this: warped pedal steels and skuzzed out guitar; crackin’ a cold one with some buds; a voice reminiscent of the high-lonesome warble of a choirboy. Songs snake their way from a lo-fi home recording to something glossier made with longtime friends at Asheville’s Drop of Sun studios, but the recording setting doesn’t seem to matter much – at its core, a Lenderman song rings true.