The Monitor
What is it about New Jersey that spawns so many bands embedded with a trace of Springsteen-ian DNA? Is it in the water? From the get-go, “A More Perfect Union” pays homage to Bruce Almighty, though the band cloaks their nod in flannel-shirted, *Stink*-era Replacements-inspired grit and snot. (In truth, it’s mostly vocalist Patrick Stickles’ uncanny similarity to Paul Westerberg’s gravelly yelp that conjures that band.) Titus Andronicus’ debut, *The Airing of Grievances*, evoked the same musical touchstones, but this time around the whiskey-soaked spirit of the Pogues also permeates, and the band feels more focused, the production is greatly improved, and it’s a loopy Civil War theme that conjures a chuckle, rather than gnarled nods to Albert Camus and uh, Jerry Seinfeld. The readings here are from Abe Lincoln and Jefferson Davis instead of Camus’ “The Stranger,” but that doesn’t mean the band’s bare-knuckled punch is any more polished or polite. If anything, *The Monitor*’s flammable guitars and yearning howl evoke that youthful ache for finding the meaning of life — or maybe just another beer — with palpable fervor and certain longing.
Titus' sophomore record, a sprawling concept album loosely about the U.S. Civil War, is packed with anthems and brimming with energy and ambition.
Colin Hanks spends most of the young-author-wish-fulfillment comedy Orange County whining about how he’ll never be one of the greats if he doesn’t escape his bourgeois hometown, until he’s told that “every good writer has a conflicted relationship with the place where he grew up—Joyce, Faulkner, Tolstoy.” While his…
And while their bravado is to be applauded – few are the bands who can make “You will always be a loser” sound joyous, as on ‘No Future Part Three: Escape From No Future’ – there’s a bloodymindedness on ‘The Monitor’ that is equally infuriating and invigorating.
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With The Monitor, Titus Andronicus co-opts the Civil War for use as a metaphor in a group of songs about someone who leaves New Jersey for Boston and is unhappy with his decision. It's a laudably ambitious prospect, to be sure.
Titus Andronicus sounded like they didn’t give a fuck on their debut, ‘The Airing Of Grievances’, which was messy, scuzzy and lo-fi.
<p>This concept album about the US civil war showcases a rare and vivid talent, writes <strong>Michael Hann</strong></p>
Listening to The Monitor is like being shoved face-first into a musical blender, with large chunks of punk colliding with smaller fragments of horns, barroom piano, bombastic arena-ready group sing-alongs, strings, harmonicas and bagpipes.
Titus Andronicus - The Monitor review: As a nation of free men, we will live forever or die by suicide