THUMPERMONKEY LIVES!

"My Reality Is Stronger" begins the album on a languid note, with a breezy guitar part serving as the only instrument until vocals come in. The vocals are equally laid back, with a very relaxed, languid tone that carries the track into its next motif, wherein bass and some harder guitars are added, as well as percussion. Despite this, however, the track maintains its devil-may-care feel for a little while, and I can't help being reminded of Mr. Bungle, especially when distorted guitar chords and sound effects start getting thrown into the mix. "My Reality Is Stronger" is perhaps a bit more melodic than Bungle, however, and the nearly non-stop vocals really help the song, with great melodies even in the heavier sections and a huge variety of tone and delivery, from wavering falsettos to harsher almost-shouting tirades. A grand opener even if it is a bit wandering; it's certainly a compelling 8 minutes that keeps you guessing as to what's coming next.

But of course, what finally does come next is "The Drill." Beginning with a more traditional riff-based guitar part, "The Drill" has an almost avant-punk mentality, at times slightly reminiscent of the Cardiacs, if a bit less manic. The end of the track switches up the motif abruptly, changing out its driving guitar line for a kind of twisted tropical island theme. A much more concise track than the opener, "The Drill" is still a great, high-energy track with plenty of that insane charm that I'm learning you can only get with Thumpermonkey Lives!

"Asymptote" begins with a slower but no less hard-hitting guitar part, holding off on vocals for over two minutes to let the instruments speak for themselves in the introduction to this track. When vocals finally do enter they're delivered in a totally different way from the "in-your-face" nature of the last track. On "Asymptote" they're high and a bit more delicate, and they serve as a very interesting foil to the no-prisoners guitar onslaught. The sung part is only brief however, and the rest of the track continues in the instrumental math-rock/doom-metal fusion vein of the first section. Maybe just a tad bit overlong but there's still a ton to enjoy in this instrumental madness.

"Schrodinger's Cat Lives" continues the string of heavy-riffing, tightly controlled guitar parts, though the vocals return to a place of prominence here after being largely relegated. The delivery here is yet another new style, with most of the vocals being desperately half-sung, half-wailed in a way that gives the track a compelling sense of urgency. "Schrodinger's Cat Lives" has a definite thrash-metal feel to it, though there's a slightly softer, more melodic instrumental part towards the end of the track that adds some variety to the track, not that variety is ever lacking on an album from this band. The drums are another standout on this song, matching the intensity of the guitars perfectly and keeping the energy very, very high.

"Slug City" begins with some slow, heavy guitar lines matched by a powerful, slightly unsettling vocal part that only builds in intensity as the track progresses through its first couple several minutes. Thumpermonkey Lives! have a real talent for extending motifs over periods of time that would lose my interest were any other band playing them, and yet these guys manage to keep it interesting, however, the first section begins to push it a bit even for them. The instrumentation is just a bit too minimal for too long, and even the very strong vocals begin to wear very slightly thin. As the track progresses, however, more instruments are added, and the track moves from being a spare, slightly haunting affair to a full-on miasma of sound, and by the time vocals re-enter the track is at its apex, the intensity here fully making up for the overlong introduction. Shouted vocals give the end of the track an additional edge, and by the time the final guitar chord fades out to random sound effects the listener is fully exhausted in the best way possible.

Were this album any longer than it is I think it would begin to collapse under its own weight, but as it stands it's nearly perfect, minor issues in the last track notwithstanding. I really can't recommend this album and this group highly enough to fans of groups like Mr. Bungle or Cardiacs, or just anyone looking for something more off-kilter than the usual fare.

4/5

"Making Bombs While Listening to Leonard Cohen" begins the album with some fun electronic sounds before some bass and vocals come in. The vocals are sung in a rather idiosyncratic style, very low and almost melodramatic, and they probably won't be for everyone. Some guitar riffing gives the song a metal edge, but this is far from standard rock music. A variety of electronic sound effects in the background and sudden forays into brief synthesized soundscapes make this a song that defies genre or even accurate description. It's metal, it's electronica, it's trip hop, it's ambient; I don't know what it is but it's pretty darn interesting.

"Glow In The Dark" follows, beginning with some pseudo-rap vocals over vintage organ and percussion. After less than a minute the song switches into some screamed vocals over an almost disco electronic groove. The track continues in this vein until it switches halfway through into a spoken word sample over a cinematic string part, over which the almost- rapping returns. The song concludes with a Terry Riley-esque synth part that slowly fades before cutting off entirely.

"Your Humble Savant" returns to the vocal style of the first track, with the singer's voice very soft, low, and slightly distorted. Behind the singing is a piano part that sounds like it would have fit in well on a film noir soundtrack, along with some more electronic noises and an energetic drum loop. Strings enter this mix as well as the vocals switch to a spoken word section. Guitar enters towards the end of the track as well, providing a bit of a heavier edge over which the synths go nuts. The instrumentation returns to solo piano for the end of the track, giving the track as a whole a peaceful feel despite its rather frenetic variety.

"Schrodinger's Cat" begins on a significantly harder note, with electric guitar riffs chugging away behind much wilder vocals to create a song that sounds a bit like something Mike Patton would be involved with. Interestingly, there are also sudden passages where the guitar drops out and the synths take over to create a much more sedate atmosphere, and even though the transitions into these sections are rather sudden they work amazingly well and never feel jarring.

"Pets" begins with a solo piano part over which the sedate vocals return, creating quite a gorgeous opening for the track and a great change of pace after the slightly abrasive "Schrodinger's Cat." Some other synthesizers assist on this part of the track, but their contributions are minimal instead of chaotic, and on an album full of craziness "Pets" is the perfect closer, spare and beautiful and haunting.

This album is less than 20 minutes long, but it's remarkably complete feeling despite that. There is a ton of stylistic variety throughout these 5 short songs, but the album never feels thrown together or rushed. "Alpha Romeo" is a very, very good first release from this band and shows a tremendous amount of potential and talent, especially because all the instruments are attributed to one man on this album. If you like your progressive rock music slightly avant and with a touch of madness then this is absolutely for you. I only wish there was more of it.

4/5

This debut album from this English band (a free download album from their homepage, btw) is a mix of fish and red meat, so to speak. Of fire and water. Of David Bowie and Napalm Death (although the band does not like this association). But most of all; it is the occasional David Bowie meets Prince inspired song with some added dissonant grind core and avant- garde pieces. This is what happens when two freight trains from the opposite direction collides head on.

For some reason, this actually works. This band, with the weird name and even weirder music, has actually created a working piece of sound collage. There is even pretty pop like melodies inbetween grindcore and harsh avant garde. This album is also blessed with some excellent male vocals. This album therefore works in it's beauty/beast constellation. As a debut album, this is a fine effort. But I gladly admit this music is maybe too weird for me. This free album is recommended for all avant-garde/RIO heads in ProgArchives.

3 stars