The Monitor (album)

Last updated
The Monitor
Titus andronicus The Monitor album cover.jpg
Studio album by
Titus Andronicus
ReleasedMarch 9, 2010 (2010-03-09)
RecordedAugust 2009
Genre Indie rock
Length65:24
Label XL
Producer Kevin McMahon
Titus Andronicus chronology
The Airing of Grievances
(2008)		The Monitor
(2010)		 Local Business
(2012)

The Monitor is the second studio album by American indie rock band Titus Andronicus, released in March 2010 through XL Recordings. It is a concept album loosely based on themes relating to the American Civil War. [1]

Contents

The album title is a reference to the USS Monitor, the first ironclad warship commissioned by the United States Navy, and the closing track, "The Battle of Hampton Roads", refers to the battle between the Monitor and the CSS Virginia, which took place on March 8–9, 1862; according to the band, "Releasing this record is our way of celebrating the 148th anniversary of this historic event." [2] There are numerous references to early Billy Bragg songs such as some lyrics in "A More Perfect Union" and the song "Richard II". "A More Perfect Union" also includes references to the band's New Jersey roots as well as riffs on the lyrics of Bruce Springsteen, another New Jersey native. The Monitor features guest appearances by members of Ponytail, Wye Oak, Hallelujah The Hills, Felice Brothers, Spider Bags, Vivian Girls and the Hold Steady.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic? 7.6/10 [3]
Metacritic 82/100 [4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [5]
The A.V. Club B+ [6]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [8]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
MSN Music (Consumer Guide)A− [10]
NME 7/10 [11]
Pitchfork 8.7/10 [12]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Spin 8/10 [14]

The Monitor received a Metacritic score of 82 out of 100, signaling universal acclaim. Pitchfork included the album in their list of top albums of 2010, at #10 [15] while Spectrum Culture gave the album its #1 position. [16] "The Monitor" was named Exclaim!'s No. 20 Pop & Rock Album of 2010. [17]

The album was recognized as number 30 of The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far by Pitchfork Media in August 2014. [18]

Track listing

All tracks written by Patrick Stickles.

  1. "A More Perfect Union" – 7:09
  2. "Titus Andronicus Forever" – 1:55
  3. "No Future Part Three: Escape From No Future" – 5:16
  4. "Richard II or Extraordinary Popular Dimensions and the Madness of Crowds (Responsible Hate Anthem)" – 5:06
  5. "A Pot in Which to Piss" – 8:53
  6. "Four Score and Seven" – 8:38
  7. "Theme from Cheers" – 5:01
  8. "To Old Friends and New" – 7:00
  9. "...And Ever" – 2:24
  10. "The Battle of Hampton Roads" – 14:02

Personnel

Titus Andronicus

Additional musicians

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okkervil River</span> American rock band

Okkervil River is an American rock band led by singer-songwriter Will Sheff. Formed in Austin, Texas, in 1998, the band takes its name from a short story by Russian author Tatyana Tolstaya set on the river Okkervil in Saint Petersburg. They began as a trio made up of Sheff and friends he had met in his native state of New Hampshire but, over time, have gone through many lineups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Go! Team</span> British band

The Go! Team are an English indie rock band from Brighton, England. The band initially began as a solo project conceived by Ian Parton; however, after the unexpected success of the Go! Team's debut album, Thunder, Lightning, Strike, Parton recruited band members to play for live performances and subsequent albums. Musically, the band combines indie rock and garage rock with a mixture of funk and Bollywood soundtracks, double Dutch chants, old school hip hop and distorted guitars. Their songs are a mix of live instrumentation and samples from various sources. The band's vocals also vary between performances: while live vocals are handled mostly by lead vocalist Ninja, vocals on record also feature sampled and guest voices.

<i>Return to the Sea</i> 2006 studio album by Islands

Return to the Sea is the first studio album by Islands. It was released by Equator Records on 4 April 2006. "Rough Gem" was released as a single from the album. The remastered version of the album was released on 11 November 2016.

<i>The Angels of Light Sing Other People</i> 2005 album

The Angels of Light Sing 'Other People' is the fourth studio album by Angels of Light. Produced by band leader Michael Gira, it was released on March 21, 2005, via Gira's own record label, Young God Records. It is the band's first album to feature extensive contributions from American folk music outfit Akron/Family, who played on every song of the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Titus Andronicus (band)</span> American punk/indie rock band

Titus Andronicus is an American indie rock band formed in Glen Rock, New Jersey, in 2005. The band is composed of singer-lyricist-guitarist Patrick Stickles, guitarist Liam Betson, bassist R.J. Gordon, and drummer Chris Wilson. The group takes its name from the Shakespeare play Titus Andronicus, and has cited musical and stylistic influences such as Neutral Milk Hotel and Pulp.

<i>The Airing of Grievances</i> 2008 studio album by Titus Andronicus

The Airing of Grievances is the first studio album by American punk rock band Titus Andronicus, released on the Troubleman Unlimited record label on April 14, 2008. The album combines elements of punk rock, shoegaze, and lo-fi music. It was reissued on January 20, 2009 on XL Recordings.

Free Energy was an American rock band based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The members included Scott Wells, Sheridan Fox, Evan Wells, and Nicholas Shuminsky.

Hallelujah the Hills is an American indie rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in late 2005 by Ryan H. Walsh. They have been described by The Boston Globe as "the sound of music without limits", "criminally underappreciated" by Spin (magazine), and have been praised by Pitchfork Media for their "vivid lyrics," "knack for crafting fist-pumping anthems," and “shambolic, maximalist barroom aura.” They've been hailed as an “indie rock institution in Boston" and Aquarium Drunkard has declared that “few do it with the style and imagination of Hallelujah the Hills.”

<i>Creep on Creepin On</i> 2011 studio album by Timber Timbre

Creep on Creepin' On is the fourth studio album by Timber Timbre, released on April 5, 2011, on Arts & Crafts. The album was recorded in a variety of locations, including a converted church.

Dinowalrus is an American band from Brooklyn, New York, formed by Titus Andronicus guitarist Peter Feigenbaum. The band have released four albums and toured internationally.

<i>Local Business</i> 2012 studio album by Titus Andronicus

Local Business is the third album by American punk/indie rock band Titus Andronicus. It was released on October 22, 2012, via XL. The first single, "In a Big City", was posted in the band's blog on September 19, 2012.

<i>Atlas</i> (Real Estate album) 2014 studio album by Real Estate

Atlas is the third studio album by the American indie rock band Real Estate, released on March 4, 2014, on Domino Records. It was their first album recorded with the drummer Jackson Pollis and keyboard player Matt Kallman, and the last with the lead guitarist and founding member Matt Mondanile.

"A More Perfect Union" is a 2010 song by New Jersey-based punk rock band Titus Andronicus, the lead track from their second album, The Monitor. The song is 7 minutes and 10 seconds long, and begins with a recording of Abraham Lincoln's Lyceum address. The song ends with another spoken-word segment, taken from an article written by William Lloyd Garrison in the first issue of The Liberator, published in 1831.

Patrick Stickles is an American musician and the lead singer, frontman, and songwriter of New Jersey-based punk rock band Titus Andronicus.

<i>The Most Lamentable Tragedy</i> 2015 studio album by Titus Andronicus

The Most Lamentable Tragedy is the fourth studio album by New Jersey punk rock band Titus Andronicus, released on July 28, 2015, through Merge Records. It is a rock opera in five acts that follows "Our Hero", a man who is visited by his doppelganger and goes through considerable life experiences and dream sequences, all acting as a metaphor for manic depression.

<i>Moth</i> (album) 2016 studio album by Chairlift

Moth is the third and final full-length album by American indie band Chairlift, released in the United States via Columbia Records on January 22, 2016. The album art was created by NYC visual artist Rebecca Bird.

<i>Clash the Truth</i> 2013 studio album by Beach Fossils

Clash the Truth is the second studio album by American indie rock band Beach Fossils. The album was produced by Ben Greenberg as well as band frontman and primary songwriter Dustin Payseur. It was released on February 19, 2013, through Captured Tracks.

<i>A Productive Cough</i> 2018 studio album by Titus Andronicus

A Productive Cough is the fifth studio album by New Jersey punk rock band Titus Andronicus, released on March 2, 2018, through Merge Records. The band's frontman, Patrick Stickles, indicated that the album is a departure from their earlier work insofar as it contains no "punk bangers" and offers "a mellower, more ballad-oriented approach" while also capturing the looseness of the band's live performances.

<i>No Dream</i> 2020 studio album by Jeff Rosenstock

No Dream is the fourth solo album by American singer-songwriter Jeff Rosenstock. It was released on May 20, 2020, without any promotional lead-up. The album was released on Polyvinyl Record Co. in the United States and by Specialist Subject Records in the United Kingdom. It is also available directly from the artist through Quote Unquote Records and Really Records.

<i>The Will to Live</i> (Titus Andronicus album) 2022 studio album by Titus Andronicus

The Will to Live is the seventh studio album by American indie rock band Titus Andronicus. It was released on September 30, 2022, by Merge Records.

References

  1. ↑ Tom Breihan (14 December 2009). "Titus Andronicus Reveal Civil War-Themed Second Album". Pitchfork Media . Retrieved 19 December 2009.
  2. ↑ Patrick Stickles (14 December 2009). "Our new record". Titus Andronicus, Myspace. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 19 December 2009.
  3. ↑ "The Monitor by Titus Andronicus reviews". AnyDecentMusic? . Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Reviews for The Monitor by Titus Andronicus". Metacritic . Retrieved March 2, 2012.
  5. ↑ Lymangrover, Jason. "The Monitor – Titus Andronicus". AllMusic . Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  6. ↑ Adams, Erik (March 9, 2010). "Titus Andronicus: The Monitor". The A.V. Club . Retrieved March 2, 2012.
  7. ↑ Hann, Michael (March 11, 2010). "Titus Andronicus: The Monitor". The Guardian . Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  8. ↑ Martens, Todd (March 9, 2010). "Album review: Titus Andronicus' 'The Monitor'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Titus Andronicus: The Monitor". Mojo (197): 95. April 2010.
  10. ↑ Christgau, Robert (June 2010). "Consumer Guide". MSN Music . Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  11. ↑ Parker, Rob (March 5, 2010). "Album Review: Titus Andronicus – 'The Monitor' (Merok/XL)". NME . Archived from the original on May 8, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  12. ↑ Mitchum, Rob (March 12, 2010). "Titus Andronicus: The Monitor". Pitchfork . Retrieved March 2, 2012.
  13. ↑ Hermes, Will (March 15, 2010). "The Monitor : Titus Andronicus". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on April 1, 2010. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  14. ↑ Kandell, Steve (February 28, 2010). "Titus Andronicus, 'The Monitor' (XL)". Spin . Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Pitchfork top 50 albums of 2010, page 5". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on 2011-06-13. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  16. ↑ Spectrum Culture Best Albums of 2010 Archived 2010-12-19 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ↑ "Pop & Rock Year in Review". Exclaim! .
  18. ↑ "Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of 2010–2014". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.