#502 The Men - Open Your Heart

Of course my last album at the 2 year mark had to be a Pitchfork-plugged one. Just like old times!

The Men are about energies in opposition, bursting and soothing, nights and days, all kickboxing fury against judo grace, neither winning out for more than a few songs.

That balance that makes the album so appealing, that gives it its signature overarching flow, isn't immediately obvious though: the opening two tracks are shouty charges, sounding like a lot of the garage/punk revival that's going around now, suggesting a samey trajectory, lulling you into expecting more of the same.

But then it all drops out, and everything gets textured and nuanced and rich, evoking just about every band to carve heavy rock into acute, shimmering shapes: Sonic Youth, early Beta Band, Liars, and Je Suis France come to mind immediately, wielding the will to stretch the listener's patience and the talent to make the patience worth the trouble. Oscillation is the real winner: a weird, krauty turn. All the shouty punk side falls right off, now its past post punk into post rock, jammy, building irresistible. Later, Candy gets downright Americana, and ambient warbles straight off the backside of Blur's self titled masterpiece creep in from the crannies.

The impressive thing about this album is not just its diversity, but the way that it combines the diverse elements into a cohesive, hypnotic whole. There's a consistent voice here, sounding like the work of a creative, hungry, tight live band committed expertly to tape. I've found myself lost but entertained across repeated listens, an experience all too rare for me these days. Let the parade of generous scores continue! I'm on a finding-good-stuff streak 4.5/5

Update 4/9/12: really enjoying this one, clear frontrunner for album of the year so far.

You might like this if: you like that sweet spot of an album that doesn't overplumb a signature sound, but doesn't go careening Ween-style in every direction at once. You like rock that smolders hot, but only occasionally ignites, with enough flourishes to keep it interesting.