Issue 42 / March 2014

16
Bido Lito! March 2014
Words: Ryan McElroy
Illustration: Rebecca Currie / cargocollective.com/beckycurrie
Indie rock is one of the most difficult genres to pin down. Over
the years the term ‘indie’ has drifted far from its original usage in
demarking the non-major record labels, eventually settling down
to become a catch-all buzzword used to describe seemingly every
guitar band and their grandmother. Yet, the capricious nature of
the term means that 'indie' bands always have plenty of scope
for evolving their sound in a way that few other genres would
allow. If Motörhead released a synth pop album would they still
be considered the heavy metal titans they are? Probably not, yet
bands like Arctic Monkeys can easily dip their toes into RnB, hip
hop, psychedelia and garage rock and still fall squarely within the
indie rock category.
bidolito.co.uk
The same holds true for Brooklyn five-piece THE MEN, who are
on the cusp of releasing Tomorrow's Hits, their fifth full-length
album in as many years. The band are a living embodiment
of the elasticity of the term ‘indie’, having swiftly moulted
from scrappy punk/post-hardcore upstarts into a multifaceted,
eclectic act over the course of just two albums following their
founding in 2008, cramming in influences including everything
from krautrock to doo wop and surf. Tomorrow's Hits sees them
push the boat out once again, this time with distinct classic rock
vibes sitting neatly alongside alt-country flavours. The result is
something that sounds a little like The Band – albeit slightly
edgier – with hints of Springsteen, Exile-era Stones, and a touch
of demented, visceral bar-room rootsiness thrown in for good
measure. “We're not a country band, I'd like to make that clear,”
says Nick Chiericozzi, who splits guitar and vocal duties with
Mark Perro, alongside bassist Ben Greenberg, drummer Rich
Samis and lap steel player Kevin Faulkner. “I guess I was sort of
brought up in a loose country tradition,” Nick tells us from his
Brooklyn home. “I'm not from New York, I'm from the Midwest,
so I think that influence crept in on tour because, when you're
in the van, you don't necessarily put on the most raging stuff.
Everybody likes Woody Guthrie a lot and all that stuff. We were
just searching out for different things to draw on; all this stuff
just sort of filtered through.”
Unfortunately, not everyone appreciates such radical and
out-of-character changes, which all too often become a source
of constant grumbling for traditionalists. Take, for example, the
plight of American label Fat Possum Records: traditionally a blues
label that played host to artists like R.L. Burnside and Junior
Kimbrough, they incited the wrath of many a bellyaching puritan
who claimed the label was “going indie” after signing a range
of new artists including The Black Keys, WAVVES and Unknown
Mortal Orchestra. According to Nick, The Men have had their own
share of naysayers as a result of their metamorphosis: “Some
people, I think, don't really like us anymore because we don't play
punk shows. We're still totally down with those shows, but things
have just changed for us. I'm sure we've lost some fans but gained
others.” It's invigorating to see that The Men aren't a band in the
slightest bit concerned with pigeonholing themselves or being
pigeonholed; nor are they worried about public expectation; they
are simply content to experiment and do their own thing. “We
intended to make a different record than we had. We'd go and
rehearse and write from noon until six and practise nearly every
day, and the influence just kind of came from trying to play slow
and quiet, but it ended up being a really hi-fi-sounding album. I
think it sounds a lot like a classic rock album in a couple of bits;
the band's changed a lot.”
Flying in the face of adversity isn't a new concept to them
either: Nick describes their early days as an up-and-coming act
in Brooklyn as something of an uphill battle, with the band
struggling against the “cliquey” nature of the New York club scene.
“We got a lot of shit from people because we played the Music
Hall of Williamsburg, which is a venue in Brooklyn that has a lot
of club shows and bigger bands.” In the end, it was their DIY punk
ethic that pulled them through, with a solid fanbase of friends
and an unbound passion for playing the music they want. It's this
devil-may-care attitude and acceptance of their role as being the
square pegs in a world of round holes that perhaps is the secret
to the band's success. “Success is relative,” Nick says. “To me, it's
making a record. I guess we're just sort of hungry as musicians.
We're really just chasing the same feeling you get when you write
a good song. From [second album] Leave Home to now, it's the
same satisfaction that just materialises in a different way, and
everything we do is homemade.”
So what is indie rock really? Does it belong to the foppish,
commercial-dandy types that NME would have you believe are the
face of the genre? Maybe it's not even worth the effort of trying to
define a genre with goalposts so wide they're prone to shifting at
the slightest whim. One thing for certain is that, in a world where
music is, at a glance, becoming increasingly homogenised, we
should cherish the artists who are bold enough to simply do what
they feel is right. After all, isn't that the definition of artistry? It's
the Picassos of the world who are remembered, the Van Goghs,
the Shakespeares and the Da Vincis; those who are unafraid to be
different and to try new things. In 500 years' time, will The Men
be remembered as pioneering visionaries? Nobody can say, but
they're making a ruddy good effort.
The Men play East Village Arts Club on 28th March
wearethemen.blogspot.co.uk