Sometimes bands just step up to the plate when the world is watching and really shift up a gear. There’s no doubt the last Moneen record was a goodie, but this is different class again. While still technical, ‘The Red Tree’ is not as disjointed as its predecessor; a record that was catchy and enjoyable, but ultimately took a bit of getting used to. But like Matchbook Romance have already done this year, Moneen have come back with a record you’d probably not expect them to release. While still recognisably Moneen, this is more grandiose, yet also more melodic.
And let’s face it, any song that references the TV show Lost has to be a good ‘un. And so it proves, as ‘Don’t Ever Tell Locke What He Can’t Do’ is a cracker of a starting point. Kenny Bridges has really stepped up his game vocally, so songs like ‘If Tragedy’s Appealing, Then Disaster’s An Addiction’ feature melodies that really soar. It’s Moneen’s ability to think outside of the box that really stands out on this record. And while I can’t say this is the most original CD you’ll hear this year, the band do forego every oppotunity to fall into the cliche trap and continue to simply sound like themselves.
There are a lot of good songs on this record. ‘The Day No One Needed To Know’ is catchy in every way, ‘The Frightening Reality…’ is a real cruncher, with riffs coming at you from all angles, while closer ‘The Song I Swore To Never Sing’ may be the token slower ‘ballad’, but it’s done hauntingly well. I’m never usually a fan of ‘faster’ bands slowing things down, but this just fits really well. It’s just a piano and a really broken vocal…and it works. While sonically Moneen sound nothing like Brand New, the leap between ‘Are We Really Happy…’ and ‘The Red Tree’ is just like that of ‘Your Favourite Weapon‘ to ‘Deja Entendu’. ‘The Red Tree’ is a clever and intelligent record which will surprise you – in a good way.
www.myspace.com/moneen
Vagrant Records
Paul