If Man Is Five

If Man Is Five rose from the ashes of two other bands like a phoenix. Angela Timon and Brianna Salazar met at a punk show in Binghamton NY where both of their bands were playing. Intrigued by the one handed guitarist, Brianna overcame her shyness and the two hit it off right away. They bonded over being the few female musicians in a male dominated music scene and how uncommon their classical training was among their contemporaries in other bands. By making these two facts, which might otherwise be considered disadvantages, focal points of their band, If Man Is Five has never had a hard time getting noticed. The band enjoyed a greater level of success than nearly any other band to come out of their hometown and neighboring communities. They have had the privilege of sharing the stage with many major label acts such a Prong, Overkill and Burnt by the Sun. They also performed at various national and international events including Lady Fest, Girls Rock and Girls Rule and North by Northeast in Toronto Canada. The band released three albums with drummer Evan McNamara all before he went away to college, including Azraela, Acoustic and Blood is the Ink, Hate is the Story. His schoolmate, Matt Maloney, filled that void to promote their latest release, From Beauty to Brutality. Bringing his own unique drumming sound to the group, Matt brought a good fit both musically and personally. Known for using their classical training as a musical melting pot, If Man Is Five has always toyed with dynamic contrast and stylistic diversity, balancing both beauty and brutality in their music effortlessly, much like their aptly named new album. In fact, this release is the apex of that dualism realized. With incredible production value and dramatic instrumentation, the musicality and passion has never been more evident. Brace yourself to have songs like the dissonant “Chaos,” about the Iraq War, standing directly opposed to the hauntingly beautiful madrigal, “Dearest,” take you across an expansive emotional spectrum. The album is not only musically moving but also intellectually stimulating, with songs like “Postcranial Debris” based on “The Lottery,” a short story written by Shirley Jackson over fifty years ago, or “I Hand You My Universe and You Live Me,” named after a quote from Mexican painter Frida Kahlo’s Diary. The poetic imagery in the heart-wrenching “Temperance” and the paroxysm in the epic “Transgressions” will also have you reeling with intensity. After five years in the making, this collection of powerful songs stands to be the group’s Magnum Opus.