Rob’s Album Of The Week: The Woolen Men’s Temporary Monument

With a jangling punk sound and driving riffs that’ll immediately grab you, The Woolen Men’s sophomore full-length, Temporary Monument, is bound to show no slumps when it’s released via Brooklyn indie label Woodsist Records on September 4. Having more of a polish than the Portland, Oregon, trio’s self-titled LP that came out in 2013, there’s also a lot of boundaries being pushed and dimensions being explored. While having a distinct fuzz to go with a lo-fi style of recording, The Woolen Men have fine-tuned themselves immensely while keeping things unique. If you’re into weird rock ‘n’ roll acts like Parquet Courts, Jackson Scott and Alex Bleeker & The Freaks, you’re bound to dig this killer band from the Northwest.

Each track on Temporary Monument has a lot of energy, you’re either gonna start dancing or want to repeatedly bump into someone when you give it a listen. Thunderous guitars shine all over the album, definitely anchoring the intensity to serve as the body of the trio’s music. You can notice the four-track production quality on The Woolen Men’s upcoming release, a complement to their DIY aesthetic. Getting in your face and letting you know how they feel, Temporary Monument shows a band ripping their hearts out and making you eat it with a smile on your face.

I’m going to be honest, I’m always full of nervousness and angst whenever a band I like puts out a follow-up record. Maybe it’s the jaded part of me that’s been disappointed by so many bands after their debuts that’s creeping out. Anyway, I can be nothing but impressed with The Woolen Men’s upcoming second album. They’re going in the right direction, just like you will after checking out my top tracks off of the Album Of The Week:

A quick one that’ll make you move, “University” has some badass drumming going on that’ll absolutely wow you. Kind of sludgy and distorted, “Hard Revision” walks the line of lo-fi sounding riffs, but it’s never boring. Reminiscent of a lot of late ’70s post-punk, but with a lot more power and emphasis, “The Wheel” rolls with excellent downbeats when the guitars and drums come together to create a formidable audial duo.

The Woolen Men’s next few shows will be at The Know in Portland with Piss Test & Mall Walk on September 10 and at Mississippi Studios in the same city on September 28 with Landlines and Honey Bucket. Temporary Monument will be released by then, so you better grab a copy when you hit up either show. Let’s hope these guys come over to New England soon, but until then get your hands on this album next month — it’ll definitely be worth the wait.

Stream “After The Flood” here: soundcloud.com/woodsist/woolen-men-after-the-flood
Check out The Woolen Men on BandCamp: woolenmen.bandcamp.com/