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Monument

Decades

(XOXO; US: 29 May 2007; UK: Unavailable)

Amnesiac

You usually remember songs for two reasons: either because they’re extraordinarily good, or eye-gougingly bad. New York’s Monument are neither—they can be found somewhere between Coldplay and coma-like boredom. Their debut album, Decades, is one of those rare albums that you forget about the second that it’s done. The album has hooks and choruses and lyrics that would make Bono blush in embarrassment, but none of it sticks. It should be noted that none of these songs are bad (by any means); they just have nothing special about them whatsoever. It’s mid-tempo Brit-rock slush that blurs together like scenery on a speeding bullet train. Rocker “Magnetic North” and closing ballad “Around Every Corner” barely lift themselves above the rest of this anonymous dirge, but even those songs have limited staying power. Some bands are accused of being watered-down versions of their big-name influences; if Monument continues at this rate, they’ll wind up being more water than band.

Rating:

Evan Sawdey began contributing to PopMatters in late 2005 after contributing for years to his college newspaper The Knox Student. Evan became the Associate Interviews Editor for PopMatters in the summer of 2008, and then the full Interviews Editor a year after that. Since joining, Evan's work has been quoted/featured in a wide array of publications including SLUG Magazine, The Metro (U.K.), the Gulf Times, Soundvenue Magazine (Denmark), and multiple national newspapers. Evan has been a guest on WNYC's Soundcheck (an NPR affiliate), was the Executive Producer for the Good With Words: A Tribute to Benjamin Durdle album (available for free at GoodWithWordsAlbum.com), and wrote the liner notes for the 2011 re-release of Andre Cymone's hit 1985 album A.C. (Big Break Records) and the 2012 re-releases of the JoBoxers' 1983 debut album Like Gangbusters, 'Til Tuesday's 1985 debut Voices Carry, and Plastic Bertrand's 1978 album AN 1 (all Hot Shot Records). He is a current member of The Recording Academy and resides in Chicago, Illinois. You can follow him @SawdEye should you be so inclined.


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