This album needs more Work
Posted March 18, 2008
By Nathan,
From the title Good Monsters the album seems a little scary, and it gets creepier when their first single is called "dead man", plus the cover of the CD has a bunch of worn down cavemen. But really Jars of Clay is not focused on weird things (at least it didn't appear so), but putting out a musically and lyrically complex studio album; their eight in fact.
From the first taste of the album "dead man (carry me)" it looked like a serious rock album, and it was verified by the song "work", alas, the album does not have a serious sound, more of an off, light rock, upbeat sound that just doesn't fit them. The hit single "work" is a rock song with an excellent sound, the best part of the album in fact. While "dead man (carry me)" was good, it was grossly over played. After that though the albums entire mood changes. The light rock song (which is not even their song) "all my tears" is nice, but ends badly, and the soft "even angels cry" doesn't challenge anything musically.
The song "there is a river" is okay but nothing great, it's like a lot of the songs on the album: a slightly upbeat tune but nothing beyond that. The title track "good monsters" another odd light rock sound, is a lame song to title their album. "surprise" is not bad, but "Oh my God" and "take me higher" are not very impressive. A bright spot on the album is the song "mirrors and smoke" a more upbeat light rock song with guest staring Leigh Nash. The album ends with "water under the bridge" and "light gives heat which are nothing to brag about.
The lyrics are as odd as the music in some places. "work" has a bundle of interesting sayings but none outdo "I have no fear of drowning/it's the breathing that's taking all this work". "Dead man (carry me)" is based on getting rid of the old man (or dead one in this case) and putting on the new man, and "all my tears" has good lyrics. the songs "there is a river", "even angles cry", and "water under the bridge" leave something to be desired. A few other songs are confusing. "mirrors and smoke" is a love song but its falls with this lyric "You always make me sad/But that's what true love is all about".
With the exception of "Work and "dead man (carry me)", It takes a certain mood to enjoy most of these songs. That's a shame because from the outside (radio singles and previous albums) the album looked like another fun Jars of Clay release. Good Monsters is not a great one and might not even please Jars of Clay fans.
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