Monster Movie
All Lost

I am a bit worried because the latest Monster Movie is taking too long to be released. If the trio in question doesn't reach the audience in the right way, there's a risk they might give up, that they might break up. And that would be a huge loss.

Keep in mind that we're talking about a group that isn't in Debaser's database. When you honor them with a listen, it will seem absurd, scandalous, I would say. I don't blame Debaser because Monster Movie struggles on a global level, it's not just our "shortcoming." We can make up for it; it wouldn't be the first group to succeed in Italy more than at home (see the Clash, just to name one). 

Monster Movie is a duo, later becoming a trio with the addition of the singer, stemming from the breakup of Slowdive, in the sense that the main composer and co-singer and Chris Villan, guitar of Slowdive. They don't like the constant reference to Slowdive, they feel distant now (and in part it's true), but unfortunately, it's still needed as the record label in the latest (2006) "All lost" put the sticker "ex-Slowdive" on the cover. This means the group hasn't yet reached the mainstream audience.

Well, when there is such great talent, the saying "niche group" doesn't pay off in the long run. The works done are the following: Two EPs (the self-titled 2002 and "Transistor" in 2005) and three albums, namely in order, "Last night something happened" from 2002, "To The Moon" from 2004, and the present "All lost" from 2006.

I could have recommended any of their works, impossible to go wrong, I chose "All Lost" only because it contains one of the most beautiful songs of ALL TIME, "Return to yesterday".

Let's get to the album.

We could call it POP music and leave it at that. Classy POP music, blue blood. It starts with "Belum", a one-minute instrumental of just synth. It might leave you puzzled, but the dance begins with "Vanishing act", a sort of acoustical/electronic cadenced waltz. A true 45 rpm single. Incredible. Throughout the album, the electronics abound, but it's tempered by the acoustic guitar which is omnipresent, prominently, letting us imagine Villan composing the piece.

And then all the other pieces, among which "Return to yesterday" as I mentioned, the track starts with just the acoustic guitar and then explodes in its simplicity and beauty with the electronics and the singer Rachel Staggs' voice (which quite resembles Rachel Goswell from Slowdive in the timbre). For me, one of the best Pop pieces ever.

I will warn you that there are a couple of disco/pop pieces, one of which is instrumental. I have reservations about using this definition, it might diminish the beauty of the tracks. But it is so, there's something "disco" about those two tracks. Uniquely classy.

I conclude with a digression on the definition of high-level music (or masterpiece, if you will). Personally, I consider a masterpiece a piece whose musical chords are timeless, in the sense they've always been there in their beauty and simplicity; a talented artist just had to capture them. Mediocre music is the product of purely artificial human elaboration. Monster Movie's music belongs to the first category. Let’s help them survive.

I am unable to give a rating.

Thank you