Swedish Mod outfit THE MEN are potentially onto a hiding to nothing in the 2010 scheme of things. I mean this in the sense that they are unashamedly Retro, know their Vespas from their Lambrettas and could probably teach any budding Northern Soul heads a thing or three about the favourite discs spun at Wigan Casino and Blackpool Mecca. Fine within the walls of their respective cliques, but probably of little interest to a wider audience.
Thankfully, The Men actually have the goods to back it up and, like their 2006 LP 'Return' (also given the thumbs-up by this hack), 'Four Good Men & True' is a fine pop LP and a great listen, even if it does belong to a world where 'progressive' ideas like decimalisation are merely fuzzy shadows on the future horizon.
However, that matters little when you simply succumb to its' charms. The Men are a great unit in their own right,led by the charismatic, Jagger-ish vocals of Sven Kohler and held together by the extravagant drum clatter of the band's resident Keith Moon-in-waiting Niklas Kilenstam. A rash of tracks like 'You'd Better Get Back In Line' and the garage-infused title track show off The Men's classy, soul-drenched Mod pop to great effect and are good enough to have most would-be naysayers burning their i-Pods on the spot.
Crucially, though, while 'Four Good Men..' contains its' fair share of hip-shakin', R'n'B grooves and blaring harmonicas, it also displays a desire to broaden its' retro-active palette and this restlessness often supplies the record's best moments along the way. For starters, guitarist Olof Wallberg often shuns windmilling electric guitar for a Townshend-style semi-acoustic power strum, while groovy James Taylor-style organ also helps to join the dots on tracks like 'I'm On Your Mind' and 'Goodbye Before It's Too Late'. 'Love Lost', meanwhile, employs a slow swamp beat, jazzy bass and electric piano and has an enigmatic, round midnight feel. Most radical of all is the excellent 'Leaving Fairview Park' which could almost fit on The Zombies' great 'Odessey & Oracle' and even dares to bring some trippy, Traffic-style flute along for the ride.
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The Men can also knock out dreamy, romantic choons for the ladies when they put their collective mind to it ('Reflections') and while there's the occasional less-than-essential rave up ('Slow Fox') along the way, 'Four Good Men & True' largely showcases a band high on energy, creation and pride. Topple your prejudices and take' em to your heart.
Heptown Records website
The Men online
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