SLC, Utah's Form of Rocket is five dudes, just as humble as they are talented, blasting out some really creative and inspiring stuff. They could quite possibly be the best band around right now, as I honestly can't think of a more exciting band. They're seamlessly bridging a wide range of genres all the way from post-hardcore, post-rock, folk, metal, blues, math, and a bit of cock-rock - more in a balls to the wall "Kick Start My Heart" type of way, than balls on the ground "Pour Some Sugar on Me." Maybe it's a bit of a stretch, but I can't help but think that when I reach the end of the album, listening to the breakdown in "Peter Makowski Had an Aneurysm" and from what I've heard they've been covering Warrant's "Cherry Pie." They'd probably even do a killer cover of Def Leppard if they wanted to. I'll let you decide, but the result of Men is like that of nothing else. It's a barrage of jagged riffs, fun hooks, and technically crafted songs, even more so than their previous hard hitter Lumber. The songs tend to move and shift along like Oxes, are bluesy like AC/DC, heavy like Theory of Ruin, and sick-humored, and southern rock like The Jesus Lizard.
You are treated to ten tongue-in-cheek humorous songs that deal with masculinity, and brought about is a "back in my day" type of ignorance. "Go Get Your Buck" is about a man hunting with his son, and talking to him about getting his first deer for right of passage into early adulthood. "Daddy says let's go get us a big one, it'll make you a man." "Teapot Dome, Bitch" is just hilarious, try to hold your laugh when the chorus belts out "I'm gonna beat my woman, till I'm satisfied" over a catchy riff. "You'd Look Cute in the Trunk of My Car" is a clever song about seeing fishing as something more sadistic then it really is, "Oh, how I waited so long for you baby, to eat the meat behind your cheek, to rip the flesh from your face."
Curtis Jensen, and Peter Makowski are teaming vocalists. Jensen sounds obnoxious, hickish, and little like he's half in the bag. The way his half talk, half yelling and screaming "talking down to you" delivery comes out, it's actually charming in an odd sort of way. Makwoski screams can really darken the music, almost reaching a screaming pitch like that of Jensen. The two together create character like segments, making parts of the songs storylike. Guitarist newcomer Gentry Densley, formerly of Iceburn and current composer in an original guitar orchestra he conducts, and bassist Ben Dodds also contribute to vocals in "Go Get Your Buck" and "Gearth."
It'll be interesting to see the direction the band heads to next as their third full-length and Sick Room debut Men is another continuing into the right. Lumber was a completely solid album, and they're managing to continue to push the boundaries of rock to untouchable levels. A writer from Firesideometer put it best when he said, "There's just no denying that Form of Rocket has the defibrillator panels set firmly on the ballsack of math rock, and they're shocking the living fuck out of it." That is no understatement with Men. They explore a lot more into difficult transitions and structure with far more depth than Lumber. It's rhythmically a bit simpler, but it hits just as heavy, and the ease on the rhythm allows for some slack between transitions, to be almost improvisational at times, "Gearth" best represents that. The only criticism I have for this album is the last two songs aren't quite exciting as the rest of this record. Even so, there is little to fault with this album.
