Wax Mannequin – Have A New Name – 2018

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Wax Mannequin is many things to many people. A lyricist,
songsmith and self-effacing showman certainly, but also a
student of the human psyche, constantly finding fresh and
interesting ways to frame the people we are and the things
we encounter.

All of that is gloriously displayed on the seventh Wax
Mannequin album, Have A New Name, the result of
Adeney reconnecting with producer Edwin Burnett, with
whom he had made some of the first Wax Mannequin
recordings in the early 2000s.

Working in a small east-end Hamilton industrial space
containing an array of vintage and modern gear, the
pair—along with percussionist Mark Raymond—crafted
Have A New Name’s eight songs out of semi-impromptu
sessions that eventually expanded with the addition of
baby grand piano, viola da gamba and a 12-voice choir.
The end product is the most sonically ambitious Wax
Mannequin album to date, and also arguably the most
powerful.

The record is rooted in the whimsy and oblique satire that
is familiar to fans of of Adeney’ work. Stand-out tracks like
“Someone Fixed The Game” and “People Can Change”
display a maturity that signals Wax Mannequin is indeed
more than capable of reaching wider audiences without
sacrificing any of his edge.
With Have A New Name, Christopher Adeney has made a
Wax Mannequin album utterly necessary for this moment
in time. Challenging and earthy, funny and heartbreaking,
in search of answers yet rooted in hard-earned wisdom.
May it serve you well.