The Men
‘New Moon’
(Sacred Bones)
Some bands are content to rest on their laurels. Too many bands are happy to make the same record over and over again, never really moving forward, never progressing for fear of alienating their audience, too scared to take risks, frightened what it might do to their career, their finances.
Then there are bands that are in it for creative rewards. Endlessly and fearlessly evolving and moving forward, never content to sit still and stagnate. Brooklyn heads The Men are one of these bands. The primal raging hardcore roar of their early records has gradually given way to a sprawling, face-melting psychedelic noise with a country twang. Vibes and vapours of Crazy Horse, Dinosaur Jr, Pavement and Ween ripple from each track; classic American skewed song-writing with tunes that stick in your head and a thrilling free-form approach to rocking. When The Men go full tilt on a song like ‘Electric’ they damn near take the roof off, elevating the floor, punching holes in the walls. Then there’s ‘Open The Door’, a tender, roaming country ballad that recalls Stephen Malkmus at his most inspired. And there is so much more besides.
Already a strong contender for album of the year. How do I know this? Because I’ve played it pretty much every day for a month straight and I just keep falling more and more in love with it. The songs take on new meanings, new layers, new melodies. The Men are a very special band. Watch them grow and journey with them.
James Sherry
Only last October Canadian oddball punk trio NoMeansNo headlined The Underworld in Camden to a sweat-drenched, heaving crowd of rabid fans hanging onto every note and word. Fast forward seven months and the band are back in the capitol, doing it all over again for yet another (mainly repeat custom) crowd, crammed into the smaller confines of The Lexington, waiting to be barraged yet again with two-hours of the jarring, inventive high-energy punk rock that the band have made their own. And it is for this reason that NoMeansNo continue to pull crowds across the world well over thirty years since they formed with almost no help or awareness from the mainstream media. NoMeansNo are far too original and forward thinking to fit in the tidy, neat easy-to-understand boxes that the mainstream media like their artists to fit in. 
Thrasher have rolled out an amazing peep into San Francisco’s punk rock skate scene with this new 30 minute documentary on the life and times of shredding set around The House. Various Anti-Hero aficionado’s and friends lived and partied hard in this gaff on 6 Newell Street where anything goes. 
