Man Like Me - Pillow Talk

The great thing about other people’s children is that you can give them back after you’ve tired of playing peek-a-boo and let them win at Mario Kart a few times, and they’ve maybe started smelling a bit suspicious.

Man Like Me, and their new album, ‘Pillow Talk’, are kind of the aural equivalent of that feeling. Fun at first, the duo’s hyperactive gimmick runs dry after too many listens, and you just need to take a break. Opener ‘Wallow’ is a great start, which its strangely likeable whistle introduction; it unashamedly invites you in to enjoy their wares, directing you to “relax and wallow”.

And then there’s that beat on ‘Squeeze’. Last year’s hit appears again on this album, with its sounds not that far from what you’d expect from a clown act at the circus. It’s a bit camp, and a lot fun.

You can’t review ‘Pillow Talk’ without touching on Johnny Langer’s vocals. Like much of the music, the deep, syrupy vocals are very much an acquired taste. But if you can get past them, you’ll find yourself having a lot of fun. It’s not a serious album by any means; it isn’t trying to be.

The second half of the album is – strangely – weaker than the first. And it’s strange because here’s where Jessie Ware’s vocals pop up, in not just one but three tracks. ‘Fleetwood Mac’ feels less like a party track, and more like the comedown the day after while you catch up with your friends and find out what horrific things you did. It still sounds big, but it’s not as upbeat.

‘Love Me Tonight’ is similarly sluggish, especially after the genius ‘Lovestruck’, which takes the theme of James Blunt’s classic ‘You’re Beautiful’ and makes it actually good. Again, Jessie Ware’s vocals are used expertly. Names like hers, and producer Mike Skinner, certainly won’t hurt the levels of attention Man Like Me get.

Tracks like ‘London Town V.I.P.’, with its 90s nostalgia and love of where it’s from, give you a warm fuzzy feeling. This is how garage-tinged pop should be done, even if some of the lyrics are “Tell ‘em ring a ding ding, tell ‘em ring a ding dong / Now turn to the crowd and sing my song”.

Once you’ve tired of the fun on ‘Pillow Talk’, you’ll move on to something else. But there’s always room for more fun in music, and there’s absolutely no reason not to return to this album again in the future.