Weekly Release Spotlight: The Men
Posted on 7/31/2011
The Men
Leave Home
Sacred Bones
Leave Home
Sacred Bones
The Sacred Bones label is known for its experimental sector. It has seen releases from Zola Jesus, Woods, and Gary War, however it has another niche that fills in quite nicely. Sacred Bones has a thirst for good ol' rock - whether nostalgia teemed like the Fresh & Only or repetitive, catchy drone from Moon Duo, it still hadn't indulged in hardcore punk until they signed The Men. Besides being almost impossible to search for on the Internet, the men behind The Men are elusive on another front. Attempting to see them in New York City is a tough affair as they have seemingly only played house shows and all have been packed to capacity.
The level of distortion on Leave Home is unparalleled by most releases so far this year, perhaps besides the new one from Fucked Up. But whereas the latter may seem a little exhausting to discern a structure, The Men have mastered the art of punk melody. You could dance to these tracks. You could dance hard. It's also likely to be the loudest thing to hit your ears in a long time. So loud in fact, that for most of the first time you hear a song, you're not even paying attention to the instrumentation behind it all. That's a shame (but also the point) as the three guys in The Men are masters at what they do, and trading vocal duties gives a true sense of camaraderie which makes the album a united effort instead of hinging on the songwriting prowess of a sole individual.
The Men are likely to polarize most people who listen to it. And yes, it's gonna be way outside the comfort zone of people who have found refuge in bands like Cults and Tennis. But you need to hear this. It's going to make you branch out musically - and fast. Who even knows how their Minneapolis show at the House of Lard is going to pan out. I'd be surprised if I didn't walk out of there fully deaf, drenched in the most sweat in my life, and reveling in the fact that I just got to see a band who may or may not make it big, but no matter - it's sure to be a classic in the years to come.
Stream: The Men - "Bataille"
Radio K's Weekly Release Spotlight is made possible by members like you. Boring radio is 100% preventable. Donate responsibly today at RadioK.org.