Review: The Weight - Are Men

Posted on 15 July 2008 | No Comments

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Americana

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Yeah, I’ve been waiting for what seems like a long fuckin’ time for the follow up to The Weight’s 2004 alt-country masterpiece Ten Mile Grace and now with Are Men it is finally here.

Again anchored by Joseph Plunket’s awesome whiskey-soaked drawl, The Weight goes more middle-of-the-road instead of bouncing from harder-edged rockers to acoustic tunes; Are Men is decidedly more measured but no less enthusiastic. Where Ten Mile Grace sounded like punks playing country music, Are Men has much more of a Southern rock flavor to it. It is looser and more communal sounding thanks to what might be a more stable band around Plunket including his uncle Will Nolan on bass. Are Men just plain rocks but also rolls sufficiently well with plenty of twangy harmonica and pedal-steel to go around..

Are Men also conjures visions of a punk-tinged Springsteen and more dirty CCR meets Being There but (really) somewhere right between all those ridiculous comparisons. What Are Men really is, is a slow-burning Southern-fried alt-country album that sounds as great late at night as it does during a 4th of July afternoon BBQ; more succinctly, the record is an honest and jam-filled Americana album that reminds us all it is OK to mix a little fun into your country-rock. Highly recommended.

MP3 | The Weight – Had It Made Are Men