10) The Men – Drift

From the scuzzy punk rock of their earliest releases, to a complete embrace of Americana, to the county and surf-ish mashup of 2013’s New Moon (I know, it sounds horrible, but it’s not!), all coupled with this Springsteen-y dive bar vibe that they keep scattering throughout, The Men continue to throw out every rule you could possibly write about being in a band with 2018’s aptly titled Drift. Some my find it annoying. I find it completely enchanting. In a world where we always want to try to repeat success, The Men lean further out into the ether. Drift is their most spacious, and (possibly) most freeing record so far. Rose On Top Of The World fits right in with mid90s Athens, and Killed Someone lets the guitars fly with distortion and fervor, while When I Held You In My Arms is simply a beautiful ode to an unnamed love. How this is the same band that wrote the (ok, not quite) radio-ready indie rockers of 2014’s Tomorrow’s Hits, I’ll never know. How it’s the same band that wrote the noise rock anthems on 2011’s Leave Home, I’ll never know that either. All I know is they continue to follow some unseen path, and it always leads them well.

Listen To: When I Held You In My Arms

Sacred Bones, March 2nd, 2018