Following the So-Cal pop earnestness of 2000’s Rollover, Manishevitz has taken us by the hand with their Private Lines EP and into a Chicago improv club where band leader and principal songwriter Adam Busch tosses his umbrella in the spitoon and lets his hair down while the band gets drunk in the street. Raging on the title track, Manishevitz more closely resembles the incredible live act they’ve become over the past three years than they ever have on record. It’s here where their collision of art pop and jazz rock is sewn. It’s as if Lou Reed’s 1976 Rock And Roll Heart tour band was still alive and kicking. When the horns blare through the din mid-way through the tune, it’s a profound declaration of clarity for modern rock music. Also featured on the EP are two stellar covers: “Free Will” by Robert Wyatt and “2 HB” by Roxy Music.
