Rolling its hump for nearly 15 years, the American formation has always had the reputation of being an unequal group capable of creating excellent albums (Leave Home, Open Your Heart, Devil Music), but unable to deliver the goods live. Throughout their career, the quartet led by Mark Perro and Nick Chiericozzi has explored many variations of rock, from punk to heartland rockto noise rock.
The band’s usual production rhythm is normally quite sustained. But this time, The Men took three years to introduce us to this new album simply titled New York City; an abrasive tribute to this exciting megalopolis, but which can also eat away the physical and mental health of a human being with the best resilient intentions…
Recorded “live” by Travis Harrison — a producer known for his work with Guided By Voices and Built To Spill — New York City highlights the raw and relaxed energy that has always characterized the formation. On this 9e opus in career, you will hear there The Men in its simplest form: two guitars, a bass and a drum set. The songs follow one another smoothly, false notes and hoarse voices are legion. You can even hear a few misfires on the drums. Some songs at the end of the course slow down the pace imposed during the first four songs, but all in all, it’s played pedal to the metal.
There are no really weak songs on this long format. God Bless the USA is a beautifully gritty punk-blues. The repetitive piano note in Hard Livin borrow of course I Wanna Be Your Dog of the Stooges. Anyway I Find You reminisces about the formation The Gun Club; important punk-blues band that achieved some recognition during the 80s. Peace of Mind sounds like the New York Dolls. Eye is a nod to the sublime Dirtone of the highlights of the album Funhouse…again from the Stooges! And Eternal Recurrence is a song that could have been the authorship of good old Bob Mould.
The Men therefore wipes our ears in the rules of the art, and this, without any desire to reinvent anything. Consequently, this is what came to somewhat weigh down the assessment of the author of these lines.
That said, it takes a healthy dose of guts (or recklessness) to deliver a no-frills, no-holds-barred rock album in 2023… especially when mercantilist success has become the norm to be achieved in almost every sphere of our little ones. existences.
New York City is a pure rock record. Nothing more. Nothing less. And that’s perfect!