Friday, October 12, 2012

The Men 'Open Your Heart'


















Been meaning to write this review for quite some time and with out trying to sound cheesy I've been enjoying listening to this record so much the urge to put a few words down about it hasn't surfaced until now. It's been everywhere with me, car, iPod, at home - really just can't get enough of it.

'Open Your Heart' is The Men's third album, second for Sacred Bones, comprised of songs that tightens things up whilst paying homage to every corner of rock music. The velocity of guitars echo levels you might expect from Dinosaur Jr and as the album develops The Men continue to wear influences stretching from rock to punk and folk on their sleeve. These familiar sounds thread through the record act as an anchor, allowing guitar, bass and drum parts to reveal elaborate bursts of re-imagined rock.

The record launches with "Turn It Around", an exhilarating track featuring layered guitars, palpitating bass and breakneck beats. Throughout 'Open Your Heart' The Men curiously place vocals in unexpected places, best shown on "Oscillation". At the core this track is built on one riff that evolves into brilliant patterns of entangled guitars, before vocalists Perro/Chiericozzi conclude "Please take the stand, I just have a couple of things that I'd like to ask". Highlight is "Please Don't Go Away", a track tinged with pathos through urgent rhapsodic guitars and the use of poignant boy/girl vocals. 'Open Your Heart' embodies everything there is to love about rock music and there's good cause why so many people have raved about it this year. If you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, this record is a great reason to pay a visit to your favourite record store.

The Men Blog Sacred Bones

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