Monotonix – ‘Where Were You When It Happened?’ Album Review

This is awesome! Like Sebadoh when they rocked, Monotonix have a lo-fi sound to make Dinosaur Jnr blush and they set to with a vigour that can only be commended! Kicking off with the aptly named ‘Flesh and blood’, which is powered by the sort of riff that is destined to rip the aforementioned from your torso, it sounds like it was recorded in Steve Albini’s most distorted nightmare and is all the better for it. Second track ‘I can’t take it anymore’ rides on a hefty stoner riff, that thuds through the speakers like molten lead and the vocals are a feral howl competing with the racket. Third track ‘My needs’ sees the album continue to impress, as the band compete with Mudhoney for Iggy Pop’s rock ‘n’ roll crown. One thing that that helps this record to stand out from the crowd is the production which is utterly, utterly raw and yet maintains both warmth and clarity allowing the listener to indulge in every beautiful, discordant moment. Even the, ballad (well, as near as this lot get to a ballad anyway) ‘something has dried’ is conducted in the bands own unique style, complete with a guitar freak-out that Sonic Youth would be proud to call their own. 

Tellingly, although there are frequent reference points, there’s nothing here to suggest that Monotonix are a mere pastiche, indeed the band develop their influences and weave them into something entirely new. This is pure, untameable rock ‘n’ roll and there’s a joy to the over-the-top, crazed guitar histrionics that sweeps the listener along. It’s as if every song taps into that part of the brain that makes rock music fans want to mosh till they drop, and then amps that feeling up to the next level – it’s that good. ‘Set me free’ is stripped down to drums and voice alone, and such is the power of the lead singer’s voice that you barely notice that the guitars have vanished for a moment until they kick back in again. ‘Spit it on your face’ does exactly that on the back of the type of surf riff the Pixies used to write, before ‘As noise’ confuses by approximating the man who sings outside your window after spending fifteen hours at the local pub before collapsing in on itself under a welter of crazed guitar mangling. Finally ‘hunt you down’ closes the album with creepy organ, reverb and noise. 

This is simply an excellent record. This is pure rock, unaffected, unashamed and untouched by the trappings of commercialism. It carries the sort of wilful invention that comes from chaotic practices and too much beer in dark clubs just trying to scratch a living off the music. You’ll hear more technical albums, to be sure, but this record captures the unbridled spirit of rock ‘n’ roll that made Guns ‘n’ Roses’ ‘Appetite for destruction’ such a remarkable record. Check them out before they become huge, because on this evidence they should.