Monkey House - Headquarters
If you’ve ever felt that music today lacks substance, especially when it comes to lyrics then take heart. Monkey House is back with a 14 song collection that will restore your faith and get you thinking about love, relationships and how to carry on when things go south. Words telling a story, touching a nerve, getting inside our heads. Don Breithaupt and sometimes brother Jeff and Marc Jordan, poetry set to music. And that’s the other thing that makes it so enjoyable. The way the songs are constructed. It would be so easy and less expensive, I’m sure, to use the new tools of the trade and just let the computers and samplers handle the instrumentation. But that’s not the way it works, not in the Breithaupt world.
One look at the CD jacket tells it all. Mark Kelso on drums, Art Avalos playing percussion. John Johnson, Verne Dorge and Andy Ballantyne in the sax section with Dave Dunlop on trumpet and Doug Gibson along with Gord Myers on trombone. Add to this, Mike Francis, Rick Emmett, Pat Kilbride Drew Zingg and Tony Zorzi taking turns on guitar and brother you have yourself a band. And last but not least the vocal talents of Julie Crochetiere, Ricki Rumbel and Jenny Laws backing up Don’s lead.
Space does not permit me to elaborate about the individual tracks but I would like to mention two that made an impression right away. “Where’s Mantis Evar” who according to Don’s notes really does exist and if you think about it, we’ve all known someone like him at some point. The other one is “December Girls”. If you’re Canadian then you’ll understand.
This is a CD that you need to make some time for. Let the tunes roll over you. Let the words work their magic. Listen for those clever little brass stingers here and there, a hot guitar riff now and then and appreciate how great music sounds when it’s done up right.
Bob Farrow
Mornings
Wave.fm
