Life Fantastic is a difficult listen. It’s not because the fourth album (which hits shelves today via ANTI- Records) from indie outfit (and Philly’s golden sons) Man Man is hard to digest sonically. No, it’s far from that. Instead, Life Fantastic–the first album recorded with a "proper" producer (Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes and Monsters of Folk) in Omaha, Nebraska–is this beautiful rage of avant-pop hooks, distorted madness, and vintage explorations. It’s a winding trip into floating out of control and pulling yourself through the dust of life’s natural cycle. And that’s what Man Man frontman Honus Honus a.k.a. Ryan Kattner loves about Life Fantastic–the shift in direction that, while connected, takes you some place new, some place unexpected. It’s a journey, he says, also explained with the three totem sculptures created by New York-based artist Brad Kahlhamer that appear throughout the album artwork (one mouse-like critter is featured on the cover). We had a chance to chat with Kattner about the beauty of Life Fantastic, the emotions that fueled the songs, and what makes Philly unique HERE.