Missing Monuments – Self Titled

Missing Monuments, the latest musical vehicle being driven by Louisiana’s country punk son King Louie may not be a household name, but they are recognised as a key influence on several notable current bands like The Black Keys and The Reatards. Having dropped his own name from the current incarnation (they were previously known as King Louie and the Missing Monuments) they are back with their first release for Dirtnap Records, a self titled offering which is due to drop on July 30th.

This 11 track full length takes us back to a time when punk rock was still fresh, and bands weren’t trying too hard to make a statement – they just made music that they wanted to make and that attitude is apparent here. You won’t find machine gun guitars, screaming vocals, lyrics about sticking it to the man, or any number of other punk rock cliches, but you will a clutch of honest pop rock songs, outstanding pop sensibilities and simple melodies tinged with elements blues and country. This sound is showcased beautifully on Steelin Time, Dead to Me and Tru Luv.

Super Hero takes us on a diversion down the pop rock road with a melody and riff that Rick Springfield would be proud of. In fact it sounds suspiciously like Jessie’s Girl, just slowed down a touch (which works incredibly well).

The band also flip seamlessly into a post punk or, dare I say, new wave sound at times; channelling the likes of the Violent Femmes or The Dead Milkmen on Crash and Burn and I Don’t Share.  Easily the best example of this sound (and the best track on the record overall) is Go Away  which ups the pace both musically and in vocal style while delivering a fantastic 3 minutes of melodic pop punk brilliance. It is also the one track where you can really hear the influence they have had on The Black Lips. Take this track and plug it into Good Bad Not Evil and the uneducated listener wouldn’t notice the difference.

Overall a fantastic album which deserves more hype and success than it will probably achieve.