Okay, so I have the unfortunate position of being one of the few reviewers to have turned on Weezer. Sure I know the words to the first two albums by heart, but like Stone Temple Pilots, they strike me as lacking timelessness and falling squarely in the nostalgia category. Unlike, say, Built To Spill's Keep It Like A Secret, whose lyrics aren't quite as dumb and whose melodic progressions are decidedly more plaintive and restrained. But the album is essentially pop rock. You jump around and air guitar and sing along and smile from ear to ear, and from start to finish. This could be said for this EP by the new band The Monorail.
There are a lot of killer cascading keyboard parts and inspired harmonies flying through these six songs. I just wish they would leave the familiar behind and focus more on what makes them stand out. Both the vocals and the chuggy, immediate guitar parts are entirely too familiar. There is a glaring exception though, and that would be "The Club." Its pairing of classic chorused metal guitars with an infectious disco base could elicit both smiles and hipshakes aplenty. And those prototypical emo-shaded vocals are completely out of the picture, which is a swell choice as far as I'm concerned. I don't think the singing works for this band's music, which definitely has an audience out there (heads up, 311 fans!), because they're technically a lot of unpredictable fun. There's something about the lead vocals on this EP, though, that makes me want to toss this disc into the corner and throw on my Best of Blondie CD.
So what we've got here is a solid, anthemic mover of a release that manages to sound both fresh and stale at the same time. These rock/disco jams take the time to roam around, always pushing new buttons, but who knows if their upcoming full length is going to push the formula beyond its usual parameters. If one likes any of the bands I've mentioned, you might as well give them a chance. For those looking for something new and interesting to put in their stereos, you should maybe see them live and decide if they're not just Q and Not U with extra keyboards and bass.
1. Busy Mess Stress Test
2. Q + A
3. The Shizampah
4. The Club
5. Writing Has No Volume
6. 16, 17, 18
More about: The Monorail
