Rating: NNNN
Capturing Monotonix’s insane live energy on record must be one of the most difficult tasks in music, but if there’s anyone qualified to do it, it’s Steve Albini. Handed the production reins for the shit-kicking Israeli garage punk trio’s second LP, the legendary recording engineer imbues it with the same raw, unadorned spirit he brought to the Pixies’ Surfer Rosa and Nirvana’s In Utero.
Drums crash as if they’re being smashed right next to the listener’s head (as they often are in concert), dissonant guitars squeal as if turned to 11, and Ami Shalev’s cacophonous howl juts through as if from the mouth of Iggy himself. It doesn’t sound quite the same coming out of a pair of headphones as it does, say, from the bathroom at Sneaky Dee’s, but even on record it’s sure to quicken your pulse by a few beats.
Top track: Nasty Fancy
