The Men- Open Your Heart (2012)

Oh snap! The Men have a new record out! A mere 10 months after their Leave Home LP which garnered heaps of praise, The Men are back. With this band one should never assume anything. They've shown themselves equally adept at everything from droney sludge to shoegaze to Stooges style proto-punk to black metal (albeit briefly), so I had no idea what to expect with this album. While still showcasing The Men's ability to wear many hats genere-wise, Open Your Heart manages to sound more cohesive than either of their previous full lengths. There are a few exceptions, but this album mostly features straight ahead rockers which are more accessible than much of their previous material.

When looking for comparisons, Open Your Heart brings to mind a veritable who's who of loud, guitar-driven rock bands including The Stooges, MC5, Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth. I'll make a  few less obvious additions to that list from the punk rock and indie realms with Scared of Chaka and the criminally underrated Meneguar. Also, the first time I put this record on I thought it started out with a cover of "Suspect Device" by Stiff Little Fingers, because man, the first riff on "Turn It Around" isn't paying homage, it's straight lifted. Come to think of it "Cube" sounds remarkably similar to "Slip It In" by Black Flag as well.

Anyway, I've always thought The Men were at their best when writing driving rock tunes and apparently they can read my mind, since they've just put out an album full of 'em. Well done boys.

Try it. 

Buy it:

LP & CD 

Digital