Man Man

Honus Honus may be on the brink of genius -- if not on the brink of a first-grade temper tantrum. Either way, he's bringing back the handlebar mustache -- and the Beefheart that goes with it. As the Barnum (and maybe the Bailey, too) of the four-ring circus that is Man Man, Honus' gravel-pit voice box is as strenuous a listen as the tornado of rickety toy organs, rusty horns, accordions, bells, whistles and imaginative junkyard thrift that settles on top of it. But amid the rubble of this carny chaos is a lovable melody that beckons you to waltz, swing and rumba right along. If this South Philly outfit's full-length debut, The Man in a Blue Turban With a Face, hasn't left listeners scratching their heads in disbelief, its live performances, riddled with lavish costumes and over-the-big-top theatrics, surely will.