The Men are typically a band you never know what to expect. It’s also a band whose enthusiasm for albums has been on the rise for almost 10 years (to say the least Tomorrow’s Hits dates from 2014) but which has produced such good ones that we can’t help but be intrigued each time he arrives with a new record. Especially since the latest, his ninth on the clock, is presented as a return to basics after calmer albums, or less punk, depending.
So, of course, after a synthetic record and another with country folk accents, it’s good to imagine something more energetic and get into it, but since The Men have always done what they wanted and even their “punk” albums contained shoegaze or noise as well as Spacemen 3-style psyche, we won’t know what we’ll find here until we listen to the record (and that’s kinda why I’m writing this text, so enough procrastination).
From the first minute of “Hard Livin'”, we have a little clue. Metronomic drums, linear riffs with primary fills and a minimalist keyboard for a demonstration of raw rock. New York City, really? Wouldn’t it rather be Detroit? The first two titles follow each other without downtime, it seems moreover that they are one, and this Proto-punk tone infuses the entire A side, even the very rock’n’roll “God Bless The USA », the more punk « Echo » or the mid-tempo « The Eye ». It’s very well done, damn effective, and therefore very pleasant, enough to start on the right foot.
Enough to start off on the right foot, of course, but isn’t something missing? I was telling you about a band that was able to alternate shoegaze, noise, psyche, folk, punk or country influences, and I’m describing a proto-punk album, certainly very well done, but very classic. Where is the diversity in all of this? Well, on the B side, of course. “Round The Corner” is very swampy, “Anyway I Found You” is an almost ballad with blues accents, and “River Flows” which becomes surprisingly catchy is the river track (no pun intended) to which the group had accustomed us. Quotas are respected.
However, this is where the shoe pinches. Finally, that it scratches gently and without too much pain. The proto-punk part is very good but a little linear, and the more eclectic side does not shine with the quality of its compositions. These are far from being bad, they are even of good quality, but they fade a little compared to what we could find on the first albums of the group, those which had amazed us.
Do we have to sacrifice New York City on the altar of “it was better before”? Absolutely not. The main thing in music is to have fun, both for the musicians and for the listener, and this album does not fail to provide that, so it would be a shame to ignore it. Will he follow us as long as his illustrious elders? Maybe not. But in the meantime, we won’t hesitate to listen to it, especially since it rekindles our enthusiasm for the group which, by the way, has been a bit up and down lately. Especially since we really don’t know what to expect for the next one!
Blackcondorguy
All our articles on The Men
