Five years ago, I would've been all over this contextual Chicago troop, proclaiming them the true saviours of rock. But, since we live in these sceptical post-Strokes times, all bands that skate under the banner of retro are, at least critically, put under tight scrutiny. Thankfully, this makes it slightly more difficult for bands like Kings Of Leon and Jet to merely learn a few AC/DC riffs and head out on the road (like they do). But, more than that, I would hope this inquisition allows for bands like The M's to take a deservingly larger piece of the pie than they would otherwise receive. And with their second self-produced album (first for the consistently superb Polyvinyl), these four Kinks followers have incorporated all manner of brass and strings into turn of the millennium Top 40 rock sensibilities, with shades of early Flaming Lips indie psychedelia and classic rock songwriting. All of this adds up to The M's grabbing 2006 by the short and curlies and adding more solid proof to the relevancy of rock today. Granted the chances of Future Women finally knocking The Darkness out of public consciousness is slim, but damn if The M's aren't far more worthy of that level of success. No irony need apply.
1. Plan Of The Man
2. Shawnee Dupree
3. Going Over It
4. Trucker Speed
5. Light I Love
6. My Gun
7. Future Women
8. Never Do This Again
9. Mansion in the Valley
10. Underground
11. Darling Lucia