Monster

05 Review"Monster S/T The New Black Music 2005 [12.11.05] Little gems in the proverbial rough. Like Pasadena, for instance, LA's bucolic neighbor to the east. Among other things, it's the home to an upstart label called The New Black Music, a modest outfit quietly putting out some of the most promising music in the Southland.Which leads us to Monster, a standout on the TNB roster. My first exposure to the band was watching the video for the song "Sincere Blues" on the band's site (www.monstertheband.com). I dare you to watch this video and not be reminded how much you like good music. Sure, the video's concept and simple visual production is refreshingly powerful, too, but the song's still the star. More precisely, singer Alex Johnstone's voice is the main attraction.It turns out that Johnstone's talents don't end with effortless and original vocal performances. It seems that Monster is her project, with other people only covering percussion and incidental instruments on the album. And this sense of personal investment and revelation comes through on Monster. Johnstone coos and rails atop acoustic guitar and banjo, presenting highly crafted, wonderfully arranged tunes that showcase her voice and storytelling abilities. Other times, she's strapping on a Univox in front of a half-stack and supplying some sufficiently rocking leads.Fans of Cat Power, Devendra, Mojave 3, Galaxie 500 will find a lot to like here. Moreover, this album can make jaded music fans begin to believe again that people are making good music out there. JC "____MUSICSPORK