By Tyler Fassnacht

“As nation of free men, we will live forever, or die by suicide.” This is the end of the quote by Abraham Lincoln that kicks off Titus Andronicus’ sophomore album, The Monitor. Through our actions and sacrifice, we will be the cause of our own demise and without surrender, without compromising our integrity, we will keep fighting, even though it will most likely end in failure and defeat. Hints of this message ring throughout the entire album, which focuses more on the enemy and hate than victory.

Right from the explosive, seven minute opener, “A More Perfect Union”, its apparent that the band has come back, full force, with a higher production value, louder vocals in the mix and a beefed up tone. Yet, even with the cleaner advancements, Titus Andronicus still keep the majority of their signature reverb soaked guitars and gritty vocals, often yelled. I mean we are still dealing with the same lovable lo-fi, shoegazy DIY punk band. One new thing for this album that is quickly noticeable is the variety of instrumentation used. Heard throughout The Monitor are fiddles, piano, brass horns and even a bagpipe.

On their first album, we got used to some longer songs, but this time around they have really expanded on that. Five of the ten songs clock in at more than seven minutes, with the epic closer “The Battle of Hampton Roads” at a massive fourteen minutes. Actually I would consider almost all the songs epic on this album. Building up from quiet guitar picking to mammoth, shout along choruses and sprawling solos reinforced with a wall of buzzing distortion, Titus Andronicus really know how to fluctuate through different sounds and write an engaging song. Even though the album runs at approximately sixty-five minutes, it seems to go by like a bullet.

Titus Andronicus created a really unique musical experience with their second album; it is hard to compare it against other recent albums, even with band’s first album. The Monitor is not so much about songs and singles, but a message that needs to be heard in its entirety and that also happens to kick ass.

SIDENOTE: Titus Andronicus will be playing the Project Lodge here in Madison on April 6th. This band puts on one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen, so I suggest that no one misses out on this, as it is likely a concert that will be remembered.

Buy: Titus Andronicus – The Monitor
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MP3: Titus Andronicus – “Four Score And Seven” (Part One)
MP3: Titus Andronicus – “Four Score And Seven” (Part Two)