Posted on: October 26, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Monsters Are Waiting play a brand of music on their “Fascination” that bounces through quite a few styles even as the music is fairly straight-forward and possessing of few styles. At some point, there is a girl group (from the sixties) like feel to songs like “Monsters”, but there is something new and fresh and pervades the sound of the band.

However, during tracks like “Nobody”, Monsters Are Waiting take a Black Box Recorder meets Everything But The Girl and Portishead feel; the omnipresent bass line during the track (Breeders) mixes in an interesting way with the gossamer guitar lines (Sixpence None The Richer). At some point, however interesting Monsters Are Waiting are in their creation of a new style, there is something common and very approachable about the band. When Monsters Are Waiting come up with a jangly, eighties type of sound for their “Ha Ha”, there is something that individuals can grab onto even if they were born after the style of music faded in popularity.

It is this commonality that will no doubt make this album big when it is released; one just need to listen to the combination of styles on a song like “Christine” to be hooked. On “Christine”, the “Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me”-era Cure bass line mixes with an almost-reggae, “Sandinista”-style Clash beat. The sultry vocals present on the track provides an accompanying harmony that makes the song into something that individuals can prance around to; this is done in much the same way as the Dresden Dolls and Bjork. Nearly the longest track on “Fascination”, “Christine” is a song that stretches out well over its extended length to bring a fullness to the disc that is only alluded to at points by Monsters Are Waiting. The repetition of “he shot me down” towards the end of the track further hits listeners hard and ensures that the song will be deep in their hearts for months, if not years to come. There are so many different things to listen to during “Fascination” that individuals will still be playing this album after Monsters Are Waiting cut their next album. Radio-friendly, intense, full, compelling; these are just a few of the words that describe “Fascination”, and will no doubt be used in high frequency when the press gets a hold of this act. This is trip-hop, indie rock, pop, rock, and more for the intrepid listener who picks up this album.

Top Tracks: Firefly, Christine

Rating: 7.0/10

Monsters Are Waiting – Fascination / 2006 Retone / 10 Tracks / http://www.monstersarewaiting.com / Reviewed 27 April 2006

[JMcQ]

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