The Monitor

Titus Andronicus | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: March 9, 2010
• Label: XL Recordings
• Copyright: 2010 XL Recordings
• Total Length: 1:05:24
• Genres:
• ASIN: B00384KVOA
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,548 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Favorite Album of 2010, January 10, 2011

By 

Scott M. Barr "Mr. Stork" (Roy, Utah) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Monitor (MP3 Download)

This album is great. The ten songs add up to just about 60 minutes, and not one second is boring. There is constantly great instrumentation and lyrics that will have you thinking and laughing. There are so many different genres on this album that keeps the listener wanting more. I could go on and on about this album, but I won't bore you. If you love punk, or any sort of rock and roll you need to get this album now.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent--smart, visceral, compelling songs., August 2, 2011

By 

Greg "Saganite" (Brooklyn Park, Mongolia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Monitor (MP3 Download)

I wish I could remember how I learned about this album--it sure wasn't from how famous Titus Andronicus is. But they deserve to be well-known, even celebrated. It's been a long time since I've heard punk-flavored rock as whip-smart and satisfying as what's on "The Monitor," or songs as complex and accomplished, or lyrics as clever and poetic as these:

Solidarity's going to give a lot less than it'll take

Is there a girl at this college who hasn't been raped?

Is there a boy in this town that's not exploding with hate?

Is there a human alive that can look themselves in the face

Without winking?

Or say what they mean without drinking?

Or believe in something without thinking, "What if somebody doesn't approve?"

Is there a soul on this Earth that isn't too frightened to move?

...

And so now when I drink, I'm going to drink to excess

And when I smoke, I will smoke gaping holes in my chest

And when I scream, I will scream until I'm gasping for breath

And when I get sick, I will stay sick for the rest...Of my days

Part of the poetry of these lyrics is reflected in the snarling, growling voice they are delivered in. I don't know very much about Titus Andronicus, and I don't even remember why I know them at all. But "The Monitor" has rapidly become one of my favorite albums of the past four years. If you're a fan of the vocals of a band like Flogging Molly, with shifts in intrusmentation and time signatures redolent of Rush (of all bands), with sturdy, break-out instrumentation and firmly rooted sense of place (New Jersey), you might find Monitor compelling. I can't WAIT to hear what T.A. comes up with next.

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Album of 2010, February 4, 2012

By 

Samuel Flaxman - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Monitor (MP3 Download)

I don't write many reviews, but I had to for this one because I couldn't believe it only had two reviews. The raw, visceral, brutally honest lyrics had me listening agog and tickled pink the first time I played it. At the time, I was trying to get something else done, but ended up just sitting still for an hour while I went through all the songs. This is NOT for the innocent or the faint of heart. Exhibit A: "Theme from Cheers":

...And the walk home

Is gonna be a real [crap]-show

I'll be picking up half-smoked cigarette butts

All up and down Rock Road

And then throw up

Under the traffic light

But I'm gonna put

The devil inside me

To sleep if it takes all night

So let's get [messed] uuuuup

And let's pretend we're all OK

And if you got something

That you can't live with

Save it for another day...

If you're a teetotaler, well, you probably won't like this album. But if you've ever felt like raising a glass and getting out of hand, it's for you. If you're from Jersey, it's for you (yes, there's some Springsteen influence here, and yes, I did live in Jersey for a while). If you've ever turned to the bottle when things went wrong, it's for you. Or if you just love kick-butt, in-your-face rock and roll, it's for you.