The Men – New York City LP (Fuzz Club Records)

Another excellent record arrived at our headquarters this week. I can’t believe The Men released their ninth full album. I probably have missed some of their recordings along the way, so you better check out their website for more detailed information about their activities. Somehow, I was fully aware of their presence and listened to almost everything these guys put out in the past. However, they’re a profoundly prolific band, and it’s so easy to get lost while delving deep into their activities or discography. If you have listened to at least one full-length by The Men, you probably know these folks aren’t joking around with their music. Everything sounds top-notch from scratch to finish, so if you’re into noisy punk rock, The Men will be right up your alley.

But before digging deep into this album, let’s check out the packaging first. New York City LP comes housed in a high-quality cardboard sleeve decorated with the drum set photo on the front. It goes along with The Men’s rock ‘n’ roll attitude, and somehow this visual identity invites you to listen to this full-length. Of course, the bass drum has The Men logo, while the Fuzz Club sticker decorates a protective PVC sleeve. The back cover carries a gig photo, tracklist, minimal information about the record, and a Fuzz Club logo. A black and white protective inner sleeve is such a nice feature. The black side holds the band name, while the white side features the album title. The record label thought about vinyl nerds as well, so the New York City LP comes on a hefty 180gr white vinyl. It is needless to say that you’ll hear everything these guys put on their album.

Soundwise, New York City explores the fundamentals of old-school punk rock, so this record will unquestionably appeal to all those fans of classic seventies NYC punk rock music. However, this material also carries more than meets the eye. The Men included so many sonic delicacies along the way, and you should expect some other complementary music genres such as garage rock, rock ‘n’ roll, noise rock, post-punk, etc. The band simultaneously covers all the significant eras for these styles, so their compositions resonate with the late sixties to mid-nineties ambiance. New York City comes close in vibes to their earlier recordings, like Open Your Heart, New Moon, Tomorrow’s Hits, or Devils Music. However, this album also resonates with more straightforward rock ‘n’ roll maneuvers, energy, and power than the beforementioned recordings. There’s also a thick layer of rawness, abrasiveness, and dirtiness that defines only the best late sixties to mid-seventies garage rock albums. The Men are pros in creating such a distinctive ambiance that simultaneously levitates between many music genres, but still, it sounds like nothing you heard before.

The Men wanted to create the material that resembles NYC sound as soon as you press play on your turntable. They ultimately succeeded in it without sounding repetitious or boring. Quite the contrary, this album carries so many flawlessly executed moments that you’ll immediately place it among the favorites in your record collection. This band strikes hard with all those fuzzy, heavily distorted chord progressions, riffs, melodies, and solos, while the vividly hearable basslines give a bit more clarity and power. It’s nearly mindblowing how these instruments sound perfect together, so the producer/sound engineer nailed that 70s NYC punk rock ambiance. Of course, this album wouldn’t be so energetic without profoundly dynamic rhythmic sequences built upon heavy beats, many accentuations, continuous splashes over crash and ride cymbals, fills, and other percussive acrobatics that give even more power to this record. Each composition comes like a well-deserved slap in the face. As I said before, The Men are not joking around with their music, and New York City LP is a perfect example of how an old-school punk rock album should sound. Head to Fuzz Club Records for more information about ordering.