The Men - "Drift"

Let me tell you, about 6 years ago I went on my friends Wrestling Podcast, and when they asked me who some of my favorite bands were, I instantly said "The Men".  There was a time where this Brooklyn Punk band meant everything to me, even if their earlier material still confuses me.  The Men made their debut in 2011 with "Immaculada", an album far from what they would eventually end up sounding like.  This album was tons with noisy, colorful Psych Rock, which honestly did work for me on tracks like "Lazarus".  But one things for sure, right from the beginning the Men didn't have any problem bringing in elements of Country and other genres foreign to current Punk Rock.  The Men got even wilder, yet more streamlined with their next release, 2011's "Leave Home".  This album was a blast of an album, incorporating more Noise and Punk attitude, but as a whole is just a whole lot more of a conventional album.  Tracks like "()" and "Bataille" not only had the intensity of the first album, but intense song structures and thunderous vocals.  The Men were quickly becoming one of Punk's most dynamic acts.  The Men in 2012 however really began to cook, delivering their most incredible album to date, "Open Your Heart".  This was a swirling, colorful Punk album filled with Psychedelic Passages and Tear-In-Your-Beer country ballads.  It's a marvelous modern Punk album, and shows that The Men really are one of the more creative and explosive Punk bands on the market.  In 2013 The Men returned with "New Moon" which continued pushing them in further in every way.  There was more Indie Rock on "Open The Door", more ball-busting Punk on "Without a Face", and more Country on "High and Lonesome".  The performances here were also at an all time high.  Hell, even the production was fantastic, as even in some of the album's heaviest moments The Men seemed totally in control. But in 2014 The Men released "Tomorrow's Hits", and started to really confuse me.  This album seemed so much more on-the-rails, even in the album's most wild moments like "Pearly Gates".   Not to say that this album didn't have some really good moments, like the opening track "Dark Waltz".  But overall this album just seemed so tame, and The Men seemed to be on their best behavior.  However, The Men came back in 2016 in a BIG way with "Devil Music".  There was no Country or Indie Rock in sight.  Just absolutely aggressive, noisy punk.  I loved the hypnotic rhythms on tracks like "Patterns" and the seemingly full throttle tunes like "Violate" and "Dreamer".  A lot of people actually thought this album was messy in parts, but I had an absolute blast.  Now, I really was hoping that The Men would stick to this sound, and would continue to reach for a heavier sound.  But outside of one punishing single, these teaser tracks have been sort of tame.  Let's dive deeper.

(A personal favorite of mine!)

    This album starts off with “Maybe I’m Crazy”, and this is easily one of the most synthetic tracks I’ve ever heard from The Men.  It’s really strange to hear such a pulsing sound from The Men, but then again, they are on Sacred Bones records.  I do enjoy the whispered, bruised vocals.   But I have to ask, where the hell is this coming from?  Where are the wild riffs and the singalong choruses?  This isn’t anything reminiscent of The Men.  And while I get that we’re in a great period of wild experimentation from these Punk Rockers, where does it end?  I wouldn’t be surprised at all if their next album was even further South from their original sound.  And the worst part is, there are some incredibly cool and interesting sounds here, like that bluesy saxophone and intense drums.  But as an intro, this isn’t even close to what I want to hear.   I’m pretty lukewarm on this album overall, and I really do wish I could get into some of these songs some more.  “When I Held You In My Arms” is up next, and it’s becoming apparent that there are bits and pieces all over the place that I do enjoy.  But one thing does remain constant, and that’s this all around distraught, heartbroken, bluesy vibe. All of these vocals are just so tortured and seem legitimately broken down.  I feel like “When I Held You In My Arms” has a seriously good base.  But the reality is that that this is just so underwritten, and seriously boring.  In a lot of ways, these songs really sum up my thoughts on the new Men material in general, and that is exhaustion.  I’m absolutely exhausted listening to these tracks.  The vocals here are so beaten down as well though, sounding like The Men are literally at the end of their rope.   I really do wish I could love this track, but way too much of it is just boring. Thankfully, The Men serve up a really pleasant surprise with “Secret Light”.  There are some upbeat riffs, a strong sense of an honest to God groove, and almost a Highway feel to this.  The vocals here are so much more manic and colorful.  And yes, there’s almost a sense of Classic Rock to this, mostly because of that ever-present Jam that I can’t tell if The Men intended or not.  I love the much more upfront Saxophone and hypnotic instrumentals.  Overall, “Secret Light” is actually a really great sound.  And while this is totally a new and brave sound for The Men, it doesn’t seem to be absolutely destroying them like other tunes here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzvASBnAiAQ

    The Men continue with delivering some actually compelling tunes with “Rose on Top of The World”.  This one oddly enough seems jolly, a far-cry from what we were hearing on the first few tracks.  Hey, this is easily the most upbeat and digestible tune I’ve heard from The Men in a very long time.  This one took some time to grow on me, but it’s a solid tune all around.  I love the sort of spoken word vocals that almost come off as some Lou Reed worship, but I can assure you they’re tasteful.  It’s tender and sweet in parts, and in a way comes off like one of The Men’s older songs really trying to break free. Is this as abstract or as wild as some of their classic material?  Not even close, but it’s a sweet Classic-Rock tinged jam that comes off nicely.  Even some of the imagery in the lyrics here are a seriously nice touch, good work boys.  On the other hand, in a way, I feel like “So High” is actually the coolest of these new sounds The Men have worked with.  I love just how undeniably Country this one comes off.  But it comes off so incredibly beat down and bluesy and heartbroken.  It may be a little cheesy in moments, but for a vibe that really sets The Men apart, this works wonders.  Now yes, once again this one is a little on the underwritten side, and the performances could stand out more.  But the dragged down, heartbroken feel “So High” is gold.  Then we have “Killed Someone”, which has enough bite for this entire album.  Like, where the hell is this energy in the rest of the album?  This track is just so ripping and intense.  I love how grimy and genuinely evil this track comes off.  Hell, I would even say this one harkens back to their “Leave Home” days, it’s THAT off the rails.  Even the vocals here are absolutely monstrous, and the band’s intense performance around it all makes this a real show stealer of a tune.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsLHi7uCQn0

    Once again though, “Sleep” proves that this album stylistically is absolutely all over the place.  Here, we get another very airy, finger-picked Country Folk tune.  But like, if some of the earlier tunes here were a little underwritten this one is an absolute joke.  I love the dense atmosphere and chilly vibes and all, and I love how genuinely dark this comes off.  But outside of that, I have nothing on this track that’s going to bring me back for round 2.  With “Final Prayer” though, The Men keep me on the edge of my seat with this prolonged intro.  And trust me, little to nothing happens in this entire first minute.  I do have to say though, this one does end up starting to build up some great tension.  If I could sum up this track in a few words, I would say it’s genuinely sinister and evil sounding.  Once again, this is obviously a real change of direction for The Men, but I’ll be damned if I’m not truly stunned by this devilish performance.  It’s bluesy in parts, dark in others, and the Men actually make this really long track worth sticking around for.  This isn’t a rock tune, it’s more of a truly twisted prayer as the name suggest.  But it’s something I haven’t heard lately, especially not done this twisted.  More of this, please.  But in true Men fashion, at least as far as this album goes, they can’t stick with a sound to save their life.  This album ends off with “Come to Me”.  Now, I have no idea where this sound came from, but if you asked me how to follow up a truly evil prayer, it wouldn’t be a traditional Folk song.  I actually don’t think it’s that bad of a tune, but it’s placing is genuinely awkward. 

Rating: 7.0/10

Give A Listen To: “Secret Light”, “Rose on Top of the World”, “So High”, “Killed Someone”

Genre: I don’t even know at this point / This album is all over the place 

Overall Thoughts:  This is easily the tamest we’ve heard The Men, and no amount of late album truly twisted songs can change that.  But I think what really makes this album just average overall is just how all over the place it is.  On “Drift” The Men don’t stick with a single sound for more than a couple of minutes.  Not in an exciting way, in a way that really sounds like they have no idea on where to go moving forward.  Amongst these sounds, we have some that really work, like a much more heartbroken Country sound, or even a Classic Rock tinged highway tune.  But there are just as many tracks here that come off dangerously underwritten and unfocused.  The Men may be in a period of seriously deep experimentation, but when does it end?