Here be monsters...for real.
The Sounds Of Monsterism Island
Forever Heavenly
Reviewed: 23.09.2005
The Sounds Of Monsterism Island is a peculiar concept album. Or is it? Well, yes it is. It’s a collection of hallucinogenic, spirited pop songs from throughout the decades and completely overlooked by every 60s, 70s etc etc compilation in the world...ever; designed to soundtrack an imaginary island populated by, yup, you guessed it, Monsters. You get the idea. The album opens casually enough with the aptly titled ‘The Island’ – by Millenium. Grazing on luscious jangly percussion and dreamy Jane Birkin vocals the song makes me feel...um, nice as hot apple pie. It’s an album with a vision. Imagine Barbarella, Flash Gordon and the Time Machine rolled into one with a soundtrack of oddly erotic BBC sound effects sung by stick thin 60’s models. Err, sounds bloody good to me. The album artwork looks reminiscent of Super Furry Animals, and that would be because it was done by Pete Fowler, the man who does SFA’s album artwork. This is really Fowlers project and he takes us on as much of a musical journey as you’d expect. Continuing in this fashion, the album gets more and more adventurous, and almost gets little repetitive, if it wasn’t for the fact that it’s bursting like a rainbow into my eardrums. Featuring gems from the likes of the White Noise (think Broadcast), East Of Eden (giddy), Dead Meadow (swampy blues), Silver Apples (LCD induced paranoia). It’s ace-o-rama, and if anything it's worth buying just for Clarence 'Frogman' Henry's swing-be-bop anthem 'Ain't Got A Home'.
Cass |
DFA Records: Holiday Mix 2005
DFA Records: Holiday Mix 2005
