(Originally written 5/18/12) 

The Men are a Brooklyn band who play pedal to the metal rock ‘n’ roll. Their latest album Open Your Heart is full of songs that are perfect for running. This week I had the opportunity to attend their last concert in New York before hitting the road this summer.

I first heard The Men when I was testing new release albums for my 2012 Indie Rock running playlist. Even the most compatible sounding bands tend to only have one or two songs per album that are well suited to a running tempo. Not The Men, there were 5 songs right in the running sweet spot.

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Song Title – Run Time – BPM

  1. Turn it Around – 3:55 – 182

  2. Please Don’t Go Away – 3:40 – 180

  3. Open Your Heart – 3:00 – 178

  4. Cube – 2:25 – 190

  5. Ex-Dreams – 5:30 – 182

The album Open Your Heart was love at first song. “Turn it Around” kicks off the album with growling guitars followed by an assault of lightening fast drums and even more guitars! Overall the music is a non-stop punk fast guitar and drum driven inspiration. It’s like the sound I dream of when practicing with my band. The song “Open Your Heart” is another stand out in this collection. “Ex-Dreams” is extra long and even strips it down to just the drum beat in the middle, which I found to be a good point to sharpen focus and check-in during the run.

When I saw this band was from Brooklyn I immediately looked up their show schedule and was excited to see they had just announced a show in Manhattan’s Webster Hall before they take off on a grand European tour.

The live performance did not disappoint! They were so tight and faster in performance than on the album, which was awesome.  They really rocked us to the core. We managed to get pretty close to front. Unfortunately, I’m a terrible photographer. I was so into the show I only snapped a couple of shots and all I got were the backs of heads.

Anyway, I highly recommend The Men and their album Open Your Heart as a great Brooklyn rock band to add to running playlists, to see live and for general listening pleasure.

Check them out their website for updates and discography:

http://wearethemen.blogspot.com/