MANNING FIREWORKS

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 highlonesome
warble of a choirboy. Songs snake their
way from a lo-fi home recording to something
glossier made withnlongtime 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.
Manning Fireworks is a remarkable development
in MJ Lenderman's story as an incredibly incisive
singer-songwriter, whose propensity for humor
always points to some uneasy, disorienting darkness.
The punchlines are still here, as are the rusted-wire
guitar solos that have made Lenderman a favorite
for indie rock fans looking for an emerging guitar
hero. There's a new sincerity, too, as Lenderman
lets listeners clearly see the world through his
warped lens.