Monument – “Sweatpants Fever!”

The cover songs alone make this release: four flawless renditions original enough to justify redoing, but faithful enough to pay homage. And then there are still four Monument songs to discover. In the trademark Cap’n Jazz style of indie-emo, Monument pulls off Sweatpants Fever! effortlessly, reminding us how good emo really was, and apparently still is.

Bustling, bombastic indie rock is what Monument does best, evident from the melancholic intro of “Extreme Walrus Juice” to the raucous choruses of “Goddamned Claw Machine” and all the discursive clamouring in between. Never losing sight of the warm optimism anchored in early emo, Monument delicately sway from sweetly melodic to subtly dissonant without missing a step.

Sweatpants Fever! is a great release, with impeccable style it steps into the future while remembering the past. And it references those hilarious GI Joe PSA’s, so if you have no idea what “Hey Kid I’m a Computer” means, Google it and you can thank Monument for the great music and your improved sense of humour.

Track Listing:

01. Goddamned Claw Machine
02. Extreme Walrus Juice
03. Hey Kid I’m A Computer
04. Fiestival
05. Precision Auto (Superchunk)
06. Dot Dash (Wire)
07. Bikeage (Descendants)
08. What A Wonderful Puddle (Braid)

Run Time: 24:42
Release Date: June 8, 2011

Check out the album: “Sweatpants Fever!”