When I first heard 'Giants' I thought it sounded a little like The Wildhearts in places, and then I realised they'd recorded it with a former Wildhearts producer, which makes a bit of sense. While The Mono Effect do the slower stuff well ('Lull' is a really, really good song) they're at their best when they push the accelerator down and turn the amps up. 'Confidence' and 'Beast' sound like the Foo Fighters at their, well, most confident. Infact it's a very self-assured album, there's a lot of power and feeling here which belies the band's lack of earlier recorded material.
I've been aware of the band for quite some time as they featured on a very early Punktastic Un-Scene release, but The Mono Effect circa 2008 are almost a different band entirely. Much more aggressive and assured, they rock like their lives depend on it. Certainly one of Lockjaw's best releases in a long time and arguably one of the best UK releases this year.
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