Monitors – Previously…
Talk about sticking to a national stereotype! You don’t really see or hear French rock stars, movie actors and other celebrities dressed in rags, picking themselves up off the floor as the paparazzi go snapping away.
No, you imagine them as well-dressed people, looking sharp and talking in much the same. By the same token, you imagine modern-french music to carry a similar degree of sophistication. Most of the French pop stars do their best to represent that mode.
Monitors, a three-piece post-punk group from Paris, is much the same in that way. Their single Previously… is as glossy as a high-end fashion magazine. Their music is slow, moody and mysterious. The video that accompanies the song, naturally, features a beautiful woman striking poses. If you’re looking to inject some class into your playlists and listening preferences, look no further.
LUMER – Another Day At The Zoo
There’s a growing opinion about how the world is going down the shitter, what with all the disasters, political corruption and evil of the world. I don’t wholeheartedly agree. Is this really such a significant change from what the world has had to endure over its history?
The best we can do is get angry about it, or better yet, have a chuckle. LUMER, a clever post-punk unit that they are, will be doing both for the foreseeable future. Theirs is the kind of unpredictable rage of a man at the end of his rope that most metalcore bands would gladly trade their drummers into slavery to get.
Another Day At The Zoo is a great track. It would be The Birthday Party if Nick Cave were reading the political journal, or U2 if they were truly punks and not arena-rockers in punk attire. This is a terrific song that embraces you like a drunken acquaintance whose wife has just left, who’s on edge and who will not let you leave until they’ve said their piece.
