monstre new cd on alien8

[david turgeon <david.t@xxxxxxxx>]

just a short review of monstre's debut cd (after a few appearances on
cd-r & many live events), entitled _sucre 3_, which has just been
released by alien8.  

a rather confounding listen by all means, as it meshes styles usually
miles away from one another, going from bleepy bloopy "re:childlike"
melodies to some rather harsh noise (the stop-&-go type of perusal of
said harsh noise on track #2 actually makes it a very catchy trick). 
the autistic quality of it (as hinted at by the cover which uses
drawings by monstre as a child) is comparable to say hausmeister or sack
n blumm, but instead of introvertive 'nice' soundings, you get a hell of
a ruckus whose insolence is comparable to the most out/deranged japanese
bands - though a very focused kind of ruckus nonetheless.  (someone
pointed out a resemblance with _nani nani_, john zorn & yamatsuka eye's
project on tzadik from a few years ago)

there's a candour & a constant liveliness to the whole thing which makes
_sucre 3_ lovable despite passages of ruthless cacophony & seemingly
undirected noise (particularly during the first half).  also present are
purposely desynched/out-of-phase rhythms, lush synth samples, & the
masterful processing of voices, all of which enhance the experience for
both the ears & the brains.  i've been very impressed by this cd: it's
baffling, complex & enjoyable.  the only drawback would be the rather
short length; however, 30 minutes does turn out to be quite a perfect
span for the material contained within.

~ david