Foreign Monkeys

Foreign Monkeys - π ★★★★☆

The Westman Islands lads in Foreign Monkeys who won the 2006 Reykjavík Music Experiments, just recently released their first album, and it was high time as some would say. The album is called π (PI) which is a false statement concerning the contents, as the songs have very little to do with this famous incomprehensible figure. On the contrary, the four strong band serve us very digestible rock music – straight forward and very good.

In the first song, “Million”, it is already clear that the listener is not handled with care, and the good promises given there keep perfectly from then on. Then follows the song “Love Song”, which scores as one of the best on the album, and the lads keep up right to the end of the disc. “Black Cave, Molla” and “Bibi Song” are all super cool songs that should more than satisfy the rock music hunger of everyone, not forgetting the smashing “Los” which is a kind of a culmination point that falls in about the middle of the album. The song is only a couple of minutes long and reminds of something that Soundgarden could have created at the time that Superunknown appeared. The Foreign Monkeys do not only have a nose for splicing together tight and rewarding riffs, but they can also compose good melodies. And they are harvesting according to that.

The Foreign Monkeys seem to be influenced by all sorts of good stuff. Something tells me that they heavily appreciate Queens Of The Stone Age, and the funk bass and a monster scream or two from singer Bogi Ágúst Rúnarsson remind a lot on Faith No More with Mike Patton on a good day. I’ll be damned if they do not pay respect to FNM in the song “WhemWhem” it responds heavily to “Caffeine” from the album Angel Dust.

Not that the lads could be accused of copying these foreign prodigies; it is just that the sound is so super good that it can easily be compared to any other strange and foreign mammals. Their debut is simply very well done. It does not hurt that most of the songs are on the shorter side, they are never drawn out apart from the two last songs. They are by far the longest and to be honest I’d have liked them a little bit shorter. It does not matter a lot though and this album is a bullet proof item for those who like heavy rock – and a bit more than that.

Jón Agnar Gíslason (Mbl. Sunday May the 10th 2009)
- Morgunblaðið (The icelandic morning issue)

4.8.2009
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Words by Sindri Eldon

Foreign Monkeys draw on simplicity and charisma for their fuel, and never grasp beyond their immediate reach, resulting in a satisfying, although not very surprising, modern rock romp. The crunchy, saturated guitars lead us expertly through the more progressive numbers, such as DunDun and Black Cave, but get a little lost in simpler territory, where firmer, more assertive strokes would have been more welcome in the production. The hungry, angst-ridden vocals range from teeny annoyance to flat-out brilliance, often in the same track, leaving the drums as the only consistent force on the album. This would ordinarily result in some loss of accessibility, but the drums plod and stomp with such virtuous grace and power that you are not left wanting, and although it is uneven and imperfect, p is an example of garage rock at its finest and most entertaining. - www.grapevine.is