Double LP release from a Cleveland band that appears to be obsessed with the Stooges and MC5. Kinda wild to see a band whose first release is a double LP with two printed inner sleeves in a gatefold sleeve. Perhaps in the Kickstarter culture we’re in, this will be something that will happen more often. The It-Men appear to be interested in rocking—or more accurately “rawking”—but the tunes just aren’t there. There is a real tendency to cop an MC5 riff and just shave all of the edges off, leaving the whole affair sounding kind of tame and flat. The fake ringwear that is a part of the sleeve packaging is a perfect metaphor for this band and many others who do the heavy garage rock thing—trying to appear worn-in and vintage without the vibe and guts to do the thing that their heroes did. This is okay stuff but done much better by, say, The Cherry Valence or, certainly, Detroit American treasure The Go.
–frame (Davenport, theitmen.bandcamp.com/music)