Tomorrow’s Hits
4 March 2014
Sacred Bones
3.5 stars out of 5
If Bruce Springsteen had gone punk circa Darkness on the Edge of Town, it probably
would have sounded something like “Dark Waltz,” the opening track on The Men’s
fifth LP, Tomorrow’s Hits. It’s got
that ode-to-the-working-man kinda feel to it, even breaking out the harmonica
at one point. There ain’t a hint of noise rock in all of these eight tracks,
though there are several unhinged moments where the band definitely refuses to
colour inside the lines.
“Another Night” is where the saxophone makes its debut,
things speed up a few bpm, and The Men rock out for five and a half minutes on
what is essentially two chords. It’s got a bit of ‘70s bar band nostalgia, part
The Boss and part Nick Lowe. “Different Days” is full of similar energy—the
lyric “I hate being young!” is featured prominently in the chorus while the
band races ahead on less notes than you can fit in one hand. “Pearly Gates”
blows the lid off the proceedings, exploding into Billy Zoom-meets-Captain
Sensible mad riffage for over six minutes of—gasp!—punk rawk meets jam band
(?!) craziness. “Settle Me Down” is a mellow romp through a field full of
British Psychedelic daisies. I keep expecting to see Ray Davies in the credits
for that song.
While The Men might “hate being young,” let us hope they
keep down this path they’ve chosen and avoid the dreaded “artistic maturity”
that ruins so many a promising career. Tomorrow’s
Hits might not require close listening to ferret out all the fine details,
but it’s still an accomplished work that manages to put forward a unique sound
despite its myriad of influences.
reviewed by Richard Krueger
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