by Edward Sias
Let’s talk about the energy within our hearts. Nevermind that, lets listen to nothing but complete energy and ground-breaking post punk revival. The Men have this down as if they came out of the 70’s when punk music just emerged.
From the sound of their first track on their new album “Open Your Heart,” it seems as if the punk Gods themselves have inserted that same feeling into their music. In an age when you can’t seem to find good punk music, this is definitely a band worth trying out and smashing whatever you can get your hands on at the same time.
“Turn It Around” kicks off just great as the opener for the album. But that’s neither here nor there. The music is what matters, and really who cares about where the tracks are laid out in this type of album.
The raw untampered craziness of the music makes you feel alive. Alive in the sense that there is no sense to the music, it is what it is and that’s the end of it. Period. And it only gets better as the tracks roll on, onto a plane of wickedness that is punk. A slew of raw emotion that captivates every sense of your well-being only to turn it into mush.
On the flipside there’s “Country Song,” a song that gives you a little break from their chaotic undisturbed melancholy of an album, can only do so much damage. Do those two words go together? In a sense they do, you’re just going to have a listen and figure it out for yourself. This is only one of two tracks on the album that will allow you to take time out of your boring little day and think about life. Not only does it bring with it a sense of serenity, it’s the only chance you’re going to get of being sane whilst listening.
“Oscillator,” wakes you from your slumber and tosses you into a distorted dis-reality once again. Both tracks are only instrumentals but so different and set so apart from one another. Just like a napalm bomb hitting your head the music thrusts you into the void that is a beautiful distortion of elliptic enlightenment. It’s a glimpse into the rest of the album that leaves you on the edge of your seat wanting more.
“Please Don’t Wait” is a full on war. If you have any sense of a love for music, “Open Your Heart’s” finest moments are found within this track. Do what the track says and open up your blackened hearts to that which is a bedlam of brilliance. The uncut emotional landslide digging at your soul.
“Cube.” There’s nothing to say about this track but talk about the bands complete lack of “who gives a shit” attitude. The lyrics are the only indication that there has been some heartbreak within the unit, and breaking more along the way with their instruments banging away our heartfelt human emotion.
Altogether the album is something of a stunning look inside at what the punk mentality is all about. Energetic, raw, complete undisturbed emotion spilling guts onto a floor of dirt, grime and loss. If you’ve felt your heart break before, this is an album you cannot miss for the death of you. Leaving in it’s wake a bloody trail of sentiment.
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