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Monster MagnetMonolithic Baby! SPV/Stomp You just know all's not right in the world when Monster Magnet - purveyors of old men waiting for spaceships, teenage negasonic warheads and exploding heads - include a lyric as real as this: "Looks like the dog is on the move / Telling the little doggies what to do." If that doesn't mean much, it's followed by: "Gonna be a better place for me and you." Further references in On The Verge to Jesus, Allah, rape, and dancing "in my own heaven on the verge of all out hell" merely confirm that Monster Magnet have landed on planet earth in 2004. There are other moments that lead to the same verdict - lead single (Unbroken) Hotel Baby and closing track CNN War Theme are but two examples - that the Monster Magnet pre-occupied with all things psychedelic and outlandish has taken a back seat; for this album at least. There was never any need to worry about the music though. While main man Dave Wyndorf comes across as a guy who'd struggle to cook baked beans in a microwave, he's got a way with a guitar. 'Monolithic Baby!' is a wonderfully focused album, with the usual fat trimmed away for a leaner, and at times meaner, sound. In keeping with the lyrical theme of much of the album it's less spacey and far more real, with straightforward production lending a grittier feel. Slut Machine (I didn't say it was entirely based on the real world...) is a pounding opener and gets those rock'n'roll juices flowing, Radiation Day ups the urgency and Too Bad proves Wyndorf and crew are still capable of producing some of the more mesmerising acoustic rock around today. Thematically it may not be the Monster Magnet of old, but this is a powerful rock album that grows with each listen and endears itself due to its lack of bells and whistles. And if we do get a chance to dance in our own heaven on the verge of all out hell, you can bet your bottom dollar 'Monolithic Baby!' will find its way onto the jukebox.  |
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