Band of the Week: Monomen

Background Ramblings: Synth-pop band from Norway (not to be confused with the Mono Men: a garage rock band from Seattle in the 80s and 90s)

Discography: 2007 Monomen LP

Consensus Rating: 2.5/5

Consensus Thoughts: Definitely fun to listen to! They have a very 80s, synth-rock sound...these sounds are evoking such nostalgia – I can’t believe this is a new album! Makes me want to drive/dance. It reminds me of the band at the end of "Revenge of the Nerds".

However, it's also pretty repetitive. It has some great moments on it, but there are also some songs that I just want to skip every time they come on. Most of these songs fall towards the end of the album, so at least they're fairly easy to avoid. One of these songs is a nine-minute instrumental track that doesn’t really go anywhere. Who thought that was a good idea?

The songs that are good are extremely good...but the songs that are bad are pretty bad. It's not a bad album...just terribly uneven.

Favorites: “Neon”, “Drum of Glass”, "Stand Still Jane Fonda"

Least Favorites: "Stand Still Jane Fonda Part II"

The band for this week is The Submarines. Some info...

Background Ramblings: The members of this band (John Dragonetti and Blake Hazard) dated for a while. Before recording their first album (Declare a New State), they broke up, so they recorded the album in shifts…never in the studio at the same time. After recording the album (filled with songs about their relationship and break-up), they realized they still loved each other. So they got back together and got married (awwwwwww!), then recorded their second album.

Discography:

2006 Declare a New State!

2008 Honeysuckle Weeks

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