Monkeywrench
Electric Children
Estrus
Alright! The second album from Monkeywrench, and only nine years after they released their first album. In case you are unfamiliar with Monkeywrench, this supergroup consists of Mark Arm and Steve Turner from Mudhoney, Tim Kerr, Tom Price, and Martin Bland. Those other guys were in a host of other bands, and still are. Check out the Estrus site for more info. This album is full throttle, no-holds barred garage punk. This album is so much better than the first Monkeywrench album. The songs and playing are much tighter. The second track, “The Empty Place,” alternates between frenetic, nervous guitar-strumming and letting loose as the narrator recounts his misery in imagery of a house on fire. Hands down, the best track is “The Weasel’s in the Barn.” Buy this track and find out why. By the way, there are a couple of cover tracks thrown in but I can’t tell you anything about them.
Estrus Records, P.O. Box 2125, Bellingham, WA 98225; http://www.estrus.com
