ju-ju-juggling.

it has been sooooooooooo long since everybody went "what the fuck??" at the video for 'Oh My Gosh' by Man Like Me. was it a joke? was it 'ironic'? was it serious? from the shoddy PaintShop job to the slightly ridiculous "lyrics", it had me baffled. but as well as having me baffled, it also had me absolutely captivated.

since then it seemed like there were only brief stirrings of activity in the MLM camp, but now they are back with an album and it is pretty darn good. jam packed full of upbeat tracks like my favourite '9 Lives' and 'Single Dad', which provides a carnival-esque backing (complete with saxophones, steel pans and maraccas), lyrics packed full of optimism about rather gloomy situations and having toned down the 8-bit just a little bit, there is definitely less LOLfactor and more dancefactor about MLM. forthcoming single 'London Town' is also noteably fantastic; it's like a giant blob of 90s UK garage has managed to explode all over 2009. definitely my pick for summer!

whilst not quite serious enough to compete with more stern and solid albums we've already seen this year, this self titled album from Man Like Me is highly worth a good few listens.

Man Like Me - 9 Lives

keep your eyes peeled for a pre-order here. watch the video for 'London Town' here.