4.sezona, 18.epizode

The Men - Open Your Heart

It would've been tough predicting the rock 'n' roll accessibility of the Men's third album Open Your Heart four years ago when the Brooklyn group was a home-taping DIY hardcore/punk-influenced duo. Then again, they've always given off a carefree, exploratory air, one that's kept them open to trying out a variety of styles from no-wave to Kraut to to drone to even (as much as they'd like to forget it) black metal.

The quartet's new 10-song collection, out March 6 on Sacred Bones, is sunnier and more "freedom rock" than what they've offered previously, but it does follows a continuum. The title track offers a great example of this, the way they mix classic riffs and shout-along hooks without losing the noisier edge of their past. Unlike last year's darker and more diffuse Leave Home, everything on the tighter Open Your Heart comes with a joyful kick. You get that here, in both in the song's jangling Paul Westerberg-on-SST sound and its tugging-at-your-sleeve sentiment.