Some of the most interesting and creative musical artists have risen from the ashes of punk rock bands. It’s a youthful, rebellious scene many teens readily identify with. Somewhere along the line most artists grow up though, and they move on to find their own niche elsewhere. Some artists get introspective (Ryan Adams, Nick Cave), others embrace new and exciting sounds (Beastie Boys, LCD Soundsystem), and still others take the passion of punk rock and establish a different-but-the-same genre altogether (Nirvana, pop-punk bands).
The first two albums from the Brooklyn-based, critically-adored The Men (Leave Home (2011) and Open Your Heart (2012)) are a spastic, exhilarating combination of squealing guitars, fuzzed-soaked reverb and low-fi vocals – a bunch of punks making noise, basically. New Moon’s first track, ‘Open the Door’, is a gorgeous, piano-pop song that wouldn’t have been out of place on the Wilco/Billy Bragg, Mermaid Avenue collaboration. A band changing gears so quickly and unexpectedly is quite shocking, but the shift in style is so seamless and so damn great it can only be described with hyperbole – this is a remarkable band producing remarkable music.
This trend continues for the length of the entire album as New Moon bounces from one style to another on each and every track, though it never loses pace or seems forced.
The album still contains elements of The Men’s earlier work (the back to back punk explosion of ‘The Brass’ and ‘Electric’ mid-album are the best examples), but the depth the band goes to create great songs, be they soaked with unlistenable feedback, country harmonica or doo-whoop backing vocals, is a testament to their refusal to adhere to a particular genre or a sound.
The Men truly begin to excel on New Moon when they combine their punk influences with their newfound love of classic rock. ‘Bird Song’ explodes with a delicious mix of sugary guitar, tinkled organ and a searing, Tom Petty-esque harmonica, settling into a classic AM sound perfect for cruising an open road with the top down. In an album filled with sly classic rock references, this is by far the most obvious and the best.
That the band decides to close the album with an 8 minute nightmare of feedback and fractured guitar solos called ‘Supermoon’ is no surprise. The Men are a band not challenged by conventions, they’re responding simply to their own instincts and desires. You can leave punk behind but it never really leaves you.
Unspk
9.5/10
Reviewer: Nick Mackay