So Monuments finally graced my mailbox on Saturday and I'm on my 3rd spin and I must say it definitely lives up to expectations! Unfortunately I'm not an ace reviewer so I don't know if I can fully outline what makes this such a great album, but I'll do my best. Overall I'd say the sound falls somewhere between Searching for the Sun and Passages and probably closer to Passages. The songs on their myspace page give a pretty good idea of what the album sounds like, so if you like those don't hesitate to order. The whole thing is 12 tracks and runs just under 60 minutes. I can't say there is a weak track in the bunch, but so far I think my favorite is the 1-2 punch of "Sleepless" and "Without You" in the middle of the album. "Sleepless" is a brief acoustic/vocal track that runs just over a minute and then seamlessly jumps straight into "Without You". Also interesting is the 8+ minute album closer "Stronger" which to my untrained ears has a Pink Floydian vibe. Michelle's vocals sounds fantastic and the interplay between the guitars, keys/piano and violin is outstanding. I'm not expert on drum sound or anything but to me when everything flows like it does here then everyone is doing their jobs just right. Overall, A+, 10/10, 100 pts or whatever other rating system you like to employ.
Jim in DC
NP: Brave - Monuments
Jim in DC
NP: Brave - Monuments