www.losingtoday.com
Singled Out - Christmas Bumper Missive 24-12-2003

Thumpermonkey ‘Alpha Romeo’ (Self Released). Thumpermonkey is none other than Michael Woodman member of the excellent Brand Violet whose ‘Alien Hive Theme’ had us all whooping and bopping around the record shed only last month, and just before you start squirming excitedly at the prospect of more surf-tastic flavours pouring forth, think again.

This really is an odd release, and when I say odd, I’m talking in terms that it makes the recent Ronis Brothers album seem positively poppy, and that, believe you me, is no mean feat. So odd it is, but then odd doesn’t mean it’s bad, or does it? With titles like ‘Making bombs while listening to Leonard Cohen’ and ‘Schrodinger’s Cat’ how could we honestly resist this fractured five track CD.

The former is a curious fusion of stalking menace and manic ‘Pure’ era Numan replete with all the metal Reznor hooks furiously colliding savagely amid a violent storm of rage and irritation, the attrition pausing only momentarily at various sections for some trippy spacey fluffiness at which point things get briefly daydream like.

‘Glow in the Dark’ initially recalls the rapping part of Curve’s debut ’10 little girls’ doing its stuff over a succession of confused electronics which without warning rear up to create a decidedly schizoid dance groove with what sounds like B-52’s Fred Schneider doing the distressed vocals, into the mix float dismembered segments of string arrangements and mellowed space sound bites.

‘Your Humble Savant’ is an eerie avant garde cut that has the feel of the Cravats being messed up by the Virgin Prunes about it, surreal lyrics unfold an eerie drama within, all set to a haunting backdrop of macabre wide screened gloss, uncomfortably psychotic.

Going all thrash metal for the rampant ‘Schrondinger’s Cat’ sort of like an unholy union of Extreme Noise Terror, ‘Antmusic’ era Adam and the Ants and a group of passing Druids, all plugged into the mains supply by handy little clips to the genitals, a track which in all honesty needs to be heard to be believed, the work of a warped genius, or just warped. Your call.

Calming down for the seemingly gentle intimacy of the piano led ‘Pets’, no shocks or things jumping from out of the corner here, just a quiet sinister-less Moby-esque finale.

Recommended, without doubt, though I’d leave all the lights on and play only during sun up.

MARK BARTON

www.universalmetropolis.com
Originally published on January 4‚ 2004

'...within the years to come, I believe Thumpermonkey will create one of the classic works of musical art in history, an extended piece and journey through whatever time and story it cares to portray at the time. The Downward, upward Spiral of the next generation......

Thumpermonkey is one of the truly gifted independent artists in the underground music scene. Their consistency and growing skill is cause for reflection and the realisation that the next generation of sound on this planet will surpass anything we see today...'

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London’s Thumpermonkey have a way with song titles, tracks such as ‘Making Bombs While Listening To Leonard Cohen’ and ‘Schrödinger’s Cat’ catching the eye before a note is heard. They catch the ear as well, ‘…Leonard Cohen’ steering a path between the outré noir of Looper and the choppy doobie-punk of Cypress Hill. As for Schrödinger, when he looked in the box the betting is that he didn’t expect to find Suicidal Tendencies demolishing speaker stacks in the company of Faith No More in ‘Cuckoo For Caca’ mode. Different, worryingly scary, and quite marvellous.

www.liveclub.co.uk
REVIEW SCENE 25: 16/04/04

'...Well, song title of the year goes to ‘Making Bombs While Listening To Leonard Cohen’. No contest there. Wow. This sounds an awful lot like our old pals Normal – discordant grooves sliced with lunatic musical interludes and sinister vocals. Only with a bit of angsty Nine Inch Nails-like tantrums thrown in. Cripes, its completely overblown and really rather wonderful. And if you thought THAT was mad, try ‘Glow In The Dark’, which sounds like the Wu-Tang Clan jamming with Puccini and Mercury Rev. And then comes ‘Your Humble Savant’ and it gets weirder STILL. ‘Shrodinger’s Cat’ is straight-ish hardcore like they used to play at the Bowery, with a dash of ‘Chop Suey’ esque System Of A Down. And ‘Pets’ is the Divine Comedy. With a migraine. Quite extraordinary...'

Alex Ogg

Series 5, #2: Feb 04