The Men – Open Your Heart

Rating: ★★★★½

2012 has been a really good year for rock n’ roll so far, and The Men aim to keep that spirit up! Their third LP, Open Your Heart (out now on Sacred Bones Records) is filled with pummeling rock that begs to be classified.  Is it punk? Hardcore? Maybe post-punk? Truth is, there’s no way you can really label everything they’ve done here, crafting an album that fits into all the above categories, yet never stays in one place for too long.

“Turn It Around” opens up the record in furious fashion, if you just wait ten seconds.  From there, the sound kicking out of your stereo will surely have you pumping your fists in the air.  Perhaps what’s the most interesting is that the group fills their songs with elements of classic rock, they just play it faster than everyone else around.  The Men will keep this spirit up with “Animal,” a song that has a bit more of a growl to it.  You can see remnants of New York Dolls (it can’t just be me), only with a heavier element–though it’s often balanced with a female backing vocal track.  From the get-go, you’re getting kicked in the mouth, and you’ll happily offer up a toothless smile while you rock along.

But, what makes Open Your Heart worthy of repeated listens revolves around the band’s ability to sort of play with more than one formula, while still maintaing their own identity.  For just a moment, albeit a long one, you get “Country Song” and “Oscillation,” two sprawling instrumental tracks that span over 12 minutes in length (when combined). It’s no wonder that their bio mentions allusions to Thurston Moore, although they don’t seem as discordant in their style.  It’s a nice moment for you to pause and reflect.  Yep, this album still rules.

And then we’re off again, with the soaring gang vocal moment you’ll find on “Please Don’t Go Away.”  Stylistically, you can see some resemblance to noisier indie bands like Dirty on Purpose, with The Men not afraid to add elements of melody all the while pounding away.  Throwing this track in the middle of the album provides that perfect conundrum, yet again illustrating a group who’re willing to throw all their influences into their songwriting. “Candy” is yet another such track; it’s almost a country ballad.  Even if it seems unexpected, it’s tied into the album perfectly, using a seemingly lo-fi recording to hold true to the band’s form. For the rest of the album, and really for its entirety, the band go back and forth between sounds, finishing with “Ex-Dreams,” a tune that’s unified by all the band’s possible nostalgic nods.

Open Your Heart might just be a record that we’ll look back on years from now, grateful that someone wrote it.  At times it’s intense, yet still has points where you can sit back and absorb the goings-on rather than have them browbeat you.  The Men have concocted their own formula for writing a record, and it might just be a lasting formula more bands look to in the future. You can be fast and loud, but you can throw that slow jam in there just for kicks–if you execute it like this, we’re all going to love it.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/06-Open-Your-Heart-1.mp3]

Download:The Men – Open Your Heart [MP3]

Pursesnatchers – A Pattern Language

Rating: ★★★☆☆

When Dirty on Purpose broke up, I was a bit saddened, thinking I’d never get to hear their blend of sharp-edged indie pop again. Luckily, Doug Marvin and his wife, Annie of Au Revoir Simone, had other thoughts in mind, forming Pursesnatchers at home in their bedroom.  They’ve since fleshed out a full band and completed A Pattern Language, giving all the old DoP fans something to hold onto.

“Forever Ahead” opens with this angular stuttering guitar, just before Marvin enters with his whispering vocal, barely floating atop the rest of the band.  It’s a powerful song, built on the backbone of those noisy guitars and steady drum beats. You’ll find a similar pattern with “Mechanical Rabbits” as the song again opens slowly before bursting into the meat and potatoes, those discordant guitars crossing from ear to ear, balanced out by Marvin’s voice.  The dichotomy between Doug’s vocals and and the music is precisely what one would hope for from A Pattern Language.

While the quiet loud quiet dynamic made poplar by the Pixies is used excessively, there’s some differentiation between the songs.  “A Partying Prayer” applies the same construction, relying more on a forceful guitar sound, but it’s Marvin’s vocals that have a different tone to them (not as wispy).  There’s also an intricate closing to the song, built around carefully picked guitar lines.  Then there’s “Kissena Park,” possibly one of the best songs on the A Pattern Language. It’s the closest that Pursesnatchers come to creating a ballad, with cleaner guitar sounds, and Marvin going all soft. You’re likely to find this song sweeping you away for some time to come; it has such a pristine melody that you just can’t escape its magic.

What’s interesting about  Pursesnatchers is that they have this ace up their sleeve that they don’t seem to utilize enough; that ace being Annie Hart. Her first real audible performance comes as backing vocalist on “Baseball on the Radio,” and she really seems to balance out her pop inflections perfectly with Doug’s voice.  You can hear the cascading guitar chords chiming in and those powerful drums fills, but you can’t escape that her presence gives it the perfect essence of pop. She follows that up with her first lead performance on “Third Body Problem.”   It’s a wonder that she doesn’t make more of an appearance, vocally speaking, on A Pattern Language.  You can still have a dynamic song with her, but she brings a different balance altogether to the group’s sound. I’d be interested to see what the group can do using her more, as they seem to do on the latter half of this record.

Listening over and over to A Pattern Language you’re going to hear the ghost of Dirty on Purpose, and by no means is this a knock, as that band was vastly under-appreciated in their time.  But, it’s clear that Pursesnatchers have some tools in their arsenal that they haven’t quite brought to the forefront, so in the future we can only hope they grow, just a bit, making them something incredible.  For now, they’ll have to just settle for being really really good.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/pursesnatchers_baseballontheradio.mp3]

Download: Pursesnatchers – Baseball on the Radio [MP3]

More New Tunes from Pursesnatchers

I’m going to say right now, but one of my favorite records so far this summer has been the advance I got of Pursesnatchers, the group comprised of members of Dirty on Purpose and Au Revoir Simone. The combination of gentle melody and explosive indie rock moments.  The rising tides in the songs, much like those in the album, take you on a journey where you’re sure to get your money’s worth.  Their new record, A Pattern Language, will be coming out on July 19th via Uninhabitable Mansions, and I guarantee that you’ll enjoy every last instant of music living in the powerful songs the group have written. Here’s another great track.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/pursesnatchers_wetcement.mp3]

Download: Pursesnatchers – Wet Cement [MP3]

New Track from Pursesnatchers

I’ve been aware of this band for some time now, anxiously awaiting the chance to introduce them to you.  Pursesnatchers began as the project of Doug from Dirty on Purpose, who I loved, but soon his wife Annie from Au Revoir Simone joined in to round out the project.  The band releases its debut, A Pattern Language on Uninhabitable Mansions July 19th, which based on this first single is going to be every bit as exciting as I hoped. It features the soft vocals of Doug, occasionally joined by his wife, and this rolling drum beat that allows for the guitars to build throughout the entire time, rising and crashing, creating a great bit of energetic sound scapes. Better get ready folks, this band is on to big things.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/pursesnatchers_baseballontheradio.mp3]

Download: Pursesnatchers – Baseball on the Radio [MP3]

Dirty on Purpose Call it Quits

Brooklyn band Dirty on Purpose have quietly been one of those great bands that filled my heart with joy.  Their combination of noise and warm pop won me over every single time.  Sadly, the band has decided to call it quits, playing their last show this New Year’s Eve in New York City.  You can download a few of their amazing tracks, as well as their final EP, by visiting RCRDLBL. 

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/01-audience-1.mp3]

Download: Dirty on Purpose – Audience [MP3]

Gospel Gossip @ Headhunters – 8/20

Sure there is lots going on these days, and Wednesday is packed of goodness, but my recommendation is to head on over to Headhunters for a surprise you’re sure to enjoy. I’ve been listening to Gospel Gossip‘s latest record kind of non-stop with its blend of shoegaze and pop. It’s like Dirty on Purpose, but with a female vocalist. Like I said, head somewhere unexpected and take it all in.