James Mann has ADD. He must. There's simply no other way of explaining Either/Or. As the band's singer, lone guitarist, and (presumably) principal songwriter, he holds all of the creative power. And it shows. Songs begin and end without reason. They have no structure, no aim, no real purpose. Hell, most don't even have a planned ending. Some have close-to-normal lengths, but others play for 20 to 30 seconds, stopping before they ever really get off the ground. In a live setting, this style is fascinating. Mann's eccentric genius shines through like it never could on record. You have to see him actually end a song to answer his cell phone to understand how his mind works. The tunes themselves are hit-and-miss. Some put Either/Or on a level playing field with almost any indie-punk band around. Others fall flat on their face. Most, though, are too short to even judge.

Bloomington, IN. Ames Mann, Dave Or, Jessica Voight, Adam Mattox

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