The Men are hard-working sorts. The Brooklyn band’s fourth studio album, the well-received ‘New Moon’, only came out in the spring, and they’re already following it up with an EP, ‘Campfire Songs’.
Unlike its immediate predecessor, though, ‘Campfire Songs’ finds the band with instruments unplugged. Its tracks ‘Patience’ and ‘Turn Your Color’ (listen to it below) are written specially for the EP, while the remaining three cuts are acoustic reworkings of previously released material.
To mark the release of ‘Campfire Songs’ – out October 14th via Sacred Bones – The Men compiled a special acoustic playlist for Clash, with four members selecting three songs each.
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Kevin Faulkner picks…
John Lennon – ‘Aisumasen (I’m Sorry)’ (Home Version)
“This is a demo version of the song, before John switched the lyrics around to be about him needing Yoko. For some reason I’ve always liked this version better…”
Neil Young – ‘Hold Back The Tears’
“The first time I heard this song I played it six times in a row… it’s just so damn good. And who’s better than Neil?”
Harry Dean Stanton and Ry Cooder – ‘Cancion Mixteca’
“This one's off of the soundtrack for the movie Paris, Texas. It’s an old Mexican folk song about a guy who’s homesick for the country after he moves to the city. I think Harry Dean does a great job at getting that feeling across. Also, “Now that I’m so far from you, I live without light and love,” is a beautiful lyric.
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Nick Chiericozzi picks…
Anne Briggs – ‘The Time Has Come’
“The guitar part has the melody and the rhythm built right in. What a vocal, too. This whole album is chock-full of acoustic instruments like dulcimer, mandolin and guitar.”
Townes Van Zandt – ‘Fare Thee Well, Miss Carousel’
“A very simple guitar part that bounces along, slows down when it should and gets up when the drums roll for the chorus.”
Leonard Cohen – ‘Avalanche’
“I can’t really come back from this one, so it’s my last pick. This is my favourite song.”
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Ben Greenberg picks…
Iggy Pop and James Williamson – ‘No Sense Of Crime’
“Probably the toughest use of acoustic guitar in recorded music history. Nobody writes riffs like James Williamson.”
Bruce Springsteen – ‘Highway Patrolman’
“This song literally got me out of a speeding ticket once. The Boss is The Boss, there will never be another.”
Eliot Frisk – ‘Sequenza XI for Guitar’ (composed by Luciano Berio)
“An unbelievably diverse yet focused composition for solo acoustic (classical) guitar. Every centimetre of the instrument is utilised to some musical end, be it rhythmic, harmonic, melodic, or purely textural.”
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Rich Samis picks…
Pearls Before Swine – ‘Translucent Carriages’
“Pearls Before Swine was Florida's best-kept secret of the ‘60s. Do yourself a favour and check out their entire catalogue.”
Bob Desper – ‘Time Is Almost Over Now’
“Bob Desper’s ‘New Sounds’ is one of the saddest LPs out there. This is the record’s closing song and if this doesn’t move you then you have no soul.”
Stone Harbour – ‘Summer Magic Is Gone’
“I think I just got a contact high listening to this song.”
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The Men’s ‘Campfire Songs’ is released on October 14th. Find the band online here.
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