www.burnyourears.de
March 2006

Bands like Thumbermonkey Lives! fascinate me. Yet, they also present me with the problem of just how to best describe their sound. No drawer will have it, and I can’t seem to find any suitable names for reference purpose either. One thing is certain: their music fits somewhere in between alternative rock and independent noise.

American webzine colleagues have taken to compare these Brits’ weird musical output in “Chap with the Wings, Five Rounds Rapid” to Frank Zappa, but that’s where I have to pass as I don’t know much about Zappa. It rather makes me think of experimental bands such as Mars Volta, since Thumbermonkey Lives! equally work with way-out sounds, eruptive sections interspersed with wonderful harmonies. Harsh, at times progressive eruptions on the guitar meet a melancholic lyrical world of sound (similar to the sound of Sonic Youth), outright fits of rage and anger are contrasted with beautiful singing, noisy instrumental thunderstorms dominate and are juxtaposed with very gentle sounds. In addition, there are catchy lyrics and refrains.

The entire album moves between two extremes, but surprisingly manages to retain a homogeneity, which means it’s far less difficult, in fact it’s a joy to listen to and digest it - unlike compilations like, for example, Fantomas, which are, by and large, just hard work. Thumbermonkey Lives! are also hard work, but in a considerably less arduous fashion - contradictory though this may sound.

Best get a picture yourself and try out the song “Not the Motorcycle Diaries”, available on the band‘s homepage. This might seem like a ‘harmless’ and accessible title, yet the title alone tells us something about the idiosyncrasies of this trio, which, needless to say, when it comes to the lyrics, equally works in rather cryptic ways.
So, there’s lots to discover and fathom here, which is really why this album is so fascinating. I for one am just going to press the ‘play’ button now to continue my journey, working my way through the album, layer by layer, until I get to the core of it… Wish me luck!