A few years ago, up'n'coming Brooklyn foursome the Men were a punk band, albeit one with far-reaching reference points (Spacemen 3, in the case of one song on their 2011 album, Leave Home). With every new record – roughly one per year – their restrictions have lifted further. Now, they're a fully fledged classic rock band, borrowing hard from all eras, complete with E Street wailing saxophones (Another Night). There's plenty of roll, too, on tracks such as Sleepless, where keys and pedal steel make an appearance. It all might sound like a terminal case of record-collector rock, but there's a charm and ramshackleness at work here that carry these old ideas with ragged verve.
Tomorrow's Hits review – former punks the Men embrace real rock
Kitty Empire
(Sacred Bones)
Contributor

Kitty Empire
Kitty Empire is the Observer's pop critic. She has written for NME and occasionally crops up on Radio 4, 5Live, BBC 6Music, and has appeared on BBC2's The Culture Show and Newsnight Review. @kittyempire666
Kitty Empire
The GuardianTramp