|
Not
sure if you really should like The Men? Rolling
Stone With this shamelessly note-perfect reproduction of 60's guitar pop, Sweden's latest export, The Men, have pulled together a record that's more timewarp than album. Fronted by howling soulman Sven Kohler, this is a rapid fire set of foot stomping party starters as proved by The Whippersnapper and Mohair Sam. I
got home late from work and found a package in my mail, it contained
a cd from a local band called The Men, after looking at the cover
of the album I suspected it was surely something I would like, and
I was right!. To describe the sound its R & B recorded today sounding 60's, I read in the promo-material, "they don't consider themselves as a cover band, instead they see themselves as an early Who or Rolling Stones, playing the same songs as they did when they started". Well actually that doesnt matter if they perform others songs this good, I cant wait to hear their own material. My Favourites on this album are their versions of "Leavin' Here" and "Out on the Floor", and like the rest of the songs on this release, all real modern dancefloor stompers, this recording will last all night when you put the cd on repeat...and best of all you wont get tired of it. If you are interested in buying this check with your record dealer or mail the guys themselves. This is probably one of the best Mod-Christmas gifts this year. Inpress Magazine - Martin Jones Well this is certainly nothing new, but, oooohh, it’s good. A group of experienced Swedish musos have gathered their collective talent and energy to revisit the ‘60s era when rock and roll bands became great by cutting their chops on soul covers. Detroit’s Dirtbombs recently paid a similar homage. ‘Cept, see, the difference is that, back in the early ‘60s, those songs weren’t classics, they were actually a lot more obscure than they are now and nobody else had twisted their sultry soul slink into aggressive, crackling rock versions yet. Nowadays, everybody’s heard The Stones’, The Who’s and The Small Faces’ muscle Motown and strong Stax and every second, second-handed-suited, shaggy-haired band is simulating such without any sense of the original danger and discovery that made it so exciting. HOWEVER… The Men rock like the crazy, music lovin’ Swedes they are. They rock like starving Englishman in Hamburg. Their energy is palpable even on record, Lord knows what fireworks they must produce on stage! And their chops are honed and explosive, Niklas Kilenstam’s drumming in particular; you can imagine the smoke rising from his mother of pearl kit. So, with vintage rock sounds, sweet soul harmonies and an appropriately retrospective recording (that sounds like it involves some vinyl style crackling and all), The Men swing and stomp their way through the best of the fringe element of vintage soul, diggin up gems like Out On The Floor, Cool Jerk, The Whippersnapper and Mohair Sam. And the result is a big, soulful smile of a party. Time Off Magazine - Sonic Sally You don't have to think too hard about this to get the most out of it - these Swedes play 60s classics with a garage pop twist. An album entirely of covers, it features some excellent selections and the band show due reverence for their subject. Their desperation in "Baby Don't You Do It" and "Please Please Please" is pretty convincing. "What Kind Of Girl Are You" and "The Memphis Train" have a dash of soul - check out the back-up harmonies. "Dancing Little Thing", "The Whippersnapper", "I Don't Need No Doctor" and "Cool Jerk" are just plain catchy. Every tune is a winner. Mod Album Of The Month Hailing from Sweden, The Men formed from the fallout of four Swedish garage punk outfits namely, The Sinners, The Expression, The Girls and The Colvbirds. For The Men - although they are a mere year old, metaphorically and subliminally, its still the Spring of 1965. Drawing heavily from similar, if not the same wells of inspiration as The Stones, The Who, The Action and The Small Faces did when they first took their tentative steps into a career in music, The Men plunder the back catalogue of Motown, Stax and Atlantic and then put their own brand of raw and raucous Rhythm and Blues into the mixer to add a new slant to the semi-forgotten gems. We are talking tunes such as Dobie Gray's "Out On The Floor", "The Holland Dozier Holland penned "Baby Don't You Do It" and "Leaving Here", James Brown's "Please Please Please", The Capitals "Cool Jerk" and Ray Charles "I Don't Need No Doctor" for example. If there is any comparison to be made between The Men and the greats of the past, The Sonics and The Outsiders both instantly come to mind - although The Men, despite being Swedish, do have a very British rhythm and blues flavour too. If you are captured by the sixties imagery, the sounds and style, you will be drawn into the world of The Men. Beat Magazine - Shane Jesse Christmass Swedish outfit The Men bear all the hallmarks on their albums sleeve of being trussed-up Mods with some lanky haircuts in rather unpleasant, cheap, second-hand suits, but no matter how bad they look, they nevertheless have delivered an unexpectedly amazing album of Sixties-inspired, ahem … MAXIMUM R&B. 'Obviously then The Men are heavily-influenced by music from a time when music was so deviously artless. The Men are a Rhythm & Blues act who plays gutsy soul that's tight, fun, volatile and so freaking danceable they bring to mind a frazzled-sounding version of that band The Action or the time when The Small Faces were signed to Decca. The Men really do perform these songs with a raving all-nighter performance, for The Men are one downright, complete party band. The vocals are strained and rough, just like Van Morrison's were in Them, the rhythm section is as tense and stretched as The Sonics or The Wailers ever hoped to be, and everything is stuck fast for good times, booze, uppers and great dancing with svelte persons. So basically The Men are circa 1965, with a bunch of new century punk and manic energy pitched into the blend. If you're into any of the signposts that The Men so blatantly flick all over their tunes and record sleeves, you'll really enjoy this. |
