Beat Down is an advertisement of emotional numbness. It says, “Life has disappointed me and smashed my dreams. My insides have been depleted by the punishing world. Someone please come along and pummel me.” Not a topic often addressed in songform. This is the world of Mister Heavenly, a weird world, full of weird and incredible pop songs. Like just about everything that involves Nick Thorburn or Honus Honus (of Man Man), the songs have great melodies, and it’s a good time from beginning to end. I think that as I get older, I have a greater appreciation for the utilitarian value of music (in addition to the aesthetic aspects, of course), and something that Honus Honus recently said on Twitter aligns nicely with that: “Maybe these tunes will (if only for a little bit) help you forget the world is a total shit-show. We love you.” Boxing the Moonlight is a good album and it will totally help soften the unrelenting grim terror of the world while it’s playing.[BUY Boxing the Moonlight]