NO MONSTER CLUB - ALBUM REVIEW

No Monster Club - Foie Gras 
No Monster Club - Foie Gras

Who wants some off-kilter indie pop with kerazee titles from that there Ireland? You don't? Tough cos that's what I've got for you so sit down and shut up. No Monster Club are a Dublin based trio of gents who seemingly take influence from the weirder end of the musical spectrum such as Vampire Weekend, Johnathan Richman, the Violent Femmes and the Flaming Lips. The album opens with 'Fully Trained Cavemen', a jaunty indie-pop ditty that sounds like the Thrills doing the soundtrack for Bugsy Malone after no sleep. The aforementioned kerazee titles start in earnest with '(I Think You Could Only Get Away With This Carry On When You're In) The Sun' which is a deranged children's TV theme from the 70s that was deemed too mental for the kids. 'The Prisoner', 'Happy Days' and 'I Wanna Be Brainwashed' are more straight down the line indie tracks with a sense of poppy urgency and a scampish attitude that is adorably rough around the edges.

The bouncy rhythm of 'Warm Props' is as twee as twee can be and has a very Nordic feel to it which is unsurprising considering the Viking connections with Dublin (yes, I've been to Dublinia, it was great). Then again, 'La La Land' is a garage-punk tune full of snot and spit with a sense that it should be being played in a suburban US garage. No Monster Club are the kind of band that do whatever the hell they like which is hugely appealing as there is no self-censorship here. 'Damn The Weather' is essentially a 21st Century version of 'Lilly the Pink' while 'The Best Thing About Us Is We Never Grow Up' is back to that pop-punk attitude for nearly a whole minute before the shuffle of 'Troublemakers' arrives. The sheer chaotic feel of 'Let's Go Digging In Wolf Tone Square' dictates that the video should feature sped-up footage of an open-top bus ride around Dublin and novelty hats. Finishing up with 'Those Little Bastards' and 'Rainbow I'm Ready To Go', No Monster Club confirm their indie credentials and leave their chiming guitars and pounding drums ringing in your ears. Fun stuff with a sense of humour and freedom that is refreshing in music these days - more please.


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