There are times when even the most forthright punks yearn for something less bracing. The Men enjoyed much love and attention over the past few years for adventurous new-school hardcore albums such as
Open Your Heart
. The Brooklynites' fourth album in as many years, moves to a slightly different pace and zip, with lap steel and acoustic guitar providing the punctuation marks on a bunch of more considered and less visceral songs. The Men can still provide moments of gleeful abandon, as on the explosive
Electric
and
The Brass.
But
much of
New Moon
consists of The Men staking out the Neil Young territory hinted at on the last album's
Country Song
. Be it the smokey country twangs on
High and Lonesome
or the psych experiments on
Supermoon
, The Men show they are well capable of widening their sound, even if there's a slight lack of focus in places. wearethemen.
blogspot.com
Download:
Electric, Supermoon