Everything old is new again with Brooklyn quartet, The Men, who on their newest album Open Your Heart [Sacred Bones], pay joyful homage to Minutemen, Buzzcocks, Sonic Youth, the Replacements and Wire. With enough boppy snappiness to satisfy the Minutemen and Buzzcocks folks, The Men barrel through song their shorter songs (opener, “Turn It Around” and “Cube”) furiously and happily at once. Longer walks through saturated and well thought-out songs “Oscillation” and “Presence” remind guitar rock aficionados in Wire and Sonic Youth-inspired moments that a little growth in songs can be such a satisfying thing to dig into. Throw in a little lo-fi sentimentality on “Candy” — which sounds as much Replacements as it does a lost Rolling Stones song — and Open Your Heart is a release with tons of natural movement and while not anything incredibly innovative, is ultimately one of the most satisfying rock records that’s come out in recent years.
