New : The Men - 'New Moon'

Noel Gallagher nailed it, as he so often does, with a calculated rant about the Brit Awards the other week in which he decried the collective mindset of the risk averse, career-minded twerps that populate today's UK music scene, shorn of any of the unbridled enthusiasm and rock 'n' roll abandon that his generation brought to the event in the mid 90s and instead locked in a perma-tweeting publicity campaign flanked by PR agents and small time music biz snotlings. Times have indeed changed since the torrent of upward momentum that new young rock bands straddled back then and indeed a decade later when British indie became a similar breeding ground for invention and crossover appeal - the polite middle class librarians filling out the ranks of today's UK indie are terrified to flick the Vs at the establishment in case they lose out on a lucrative ad deal or a slot on the next Vodafone-sponsored festival bill. Thankfully there are still some folks out there slamming ass and breaking shit like we used to back in the day - those of you who checked out my 'Best of 2012' will remember that I filled my nappy over adoptive Brooklynites The Men and named their 'Open Your Heart' LP as my favourite of the year and a paltry twelve months later they're back with another life-affirming slab of vibrant indie rock. At first glance 'New Moon' is a touch mellower than their previous efforts, elaborating on the piano and country twang that crept into 'Open....' as a tangent but now takes centre stage on many tracks and they sound like they've stepped outside their NYC punk bubble to soak up a bit of good ol' Americana on the road. Last year's 'Candy' is a good entry point to their new shit, inhabiting a serene place that only becomes accessible when the rough edged noise finally fades from the speakers and the beer buzz dissolves into a warm, welcoming glow - 'The Seeds' is straw-chewingly melodic like old school The Band and the aptly-named the 'High and Lonesome' creaks gently along like a barn door in a summer breeze. There's a spot of old world storytelling present here which is almost folky at times, nowhere more so than on standout cut 'Half Angel Half Light' which channels the revivalist charm of Thin Lizzy's 'Whisky In The Jar' and sounds tailor made for that road trip you've got planned for summer. There's plenty to spark up a joint and swing in the hammock to but don't get too settled because halfway through they revert to splunderous volume assault, the blistering twinstrike of 'The Brass' and 'Electric' bursting out of nowhere to blow the rust of yer nuts and prompt front of stage mayhem when they roll through town. The experimentation present on 'Open....' is saved for eight minute finale 'Supermoon' which sees them wig out completely and you sense that they're committed to progression without wanting to abandon the full frontal assault that brought them together in the first place. I caught the live show last week and they  were a glorious shambles, blowing out two of their amps in the first song and peppering their set with long pauses as their equipment proceeded to fall apart (presumably from going off so hard) but catching wave upon wave of delirious energy and heartfelt passion. I had no idea that they had three different singers too, even though on reflection they all sound totally different - these dudes look like the soccer team rejects of NY indie left to form their own splinter group and I like the idea that they chose their name because they have nothing in common outside their gender. The world is an infinitely better place with bands like this who can lay down a corking LP every year and then happily tour the arse off it in small venues across the world - 'New Moon' is hopefully just the latest instalment in a long line of essential releases from these guys and once again no home should be without it.

Check out : 'Half Angel Half Light', another monster hit flying just wide of the radar.