The Men (Swe) "Sesa Rekordo" album cover, by Petter Lönegård

speranto, obvious ly.

Cavern”, THE MEN ord. But you can sleeve notes, so al, if you please; loits across the ng down kind SA REKORDO er range in nes, from the to the wafer d sinister Make ionate I Believe h Revolution, to (even the sources and unmistakably 0’s americana, , 80’s garage there would tune on this ext time. bout the ressionism the use h as the ists, SESA amismus! ite the preadays, THE believe in t Stevenson

SESA RE KO RD O – “th e six th record” in Espe Or is it? If yo ranto, obviously. u co un t th eir liv e ep “At The Cave ha ve ac rn”, THE MEN tu al ly no w made their sevent h record. Bu safely sa y th at th is is th eir sixth with my sleev t you can alright then, Sesa e notes, so Rekordo it is.

Their two preceding albums were conc eptual, “Thi s if W yo ay u ” pl be ea in se g a ; lo ud diary of their ex globe, wh ploits ac ro ile ss “S th un e bu rs t” is a subdued, sit of record. If there tin g do wn kin d is any them e at all in SESA REKORD it is to be not them atic. Au contraire, O I find a wider ra this album th ng an e in in an y decidedly dense an of THE MEN’s previous ones, from the d overproduced Ri verburn, thin m in im al ism of Sk in Deep; from the fast to the wafer Everything and sin ist Gr er ea t M Ag ake ain , to the slow, com In You. There is a pa ss ion at e I Be lieve distant echo from the French Revolu and a nu m be r tion, pe rfo rm ed entirely in Espe castanets, jes). ranto (even the The grou p fin d ins pir at ion from virtually all so twist it into so urces and m et hin g THE MEN – melodic different, something unmistakably 30 60’s sharp and soul ’s and 40’s, rootsy 50’s americana, ful, and 90’s lounge u.s 70’s glam and punk, 80’s garage .w. If they’d asked me, there would have been at least one proper brass band tune on this reco rd as we ll, bu t th ey didn’t. Perhaps next time.

Anyw ay , th is is al l very fine, but what about the the 20’s? Well, yo u ha of the cover art, fo ve the Cubist expressionism r one thin g, an d al so of the use el ec tro ni c de vi ce s in the music, su ch as the Theremin. Further mor REKORDO celebrat e, like the futurists, SESA es Movement! Dyna m Joie de vivre! In th at spirit, and desp ismus! ite the prevailing Weltschm ertz MEN dare to go th and Angst nowadays, THE eir own way and be lieve in the future. Ça Ira!!

Gilbert Stevenson

all very fine, but wh at about the the 20 Well, you have th ’s? e Cubist expressio nism of the cover for one thing, and art, also the use of ele ctronic devices in music, such as th the e Theremin. Furth ermore, like the fu ists, SESA REKORD turO celebrates Move ment! Dynamismus Joie de vivre! In th ! at spirit, and desp ite the prevailing Weltschmertz an d Angst nowadays , THE MEN dare to go their own way and believe in the future. Ça Ira!!

Gilbert Stevenson