I Predict A Riot

And... another one bites the dust (okay, I just had to say that). Translation: Titus Andronicus (not Shakespeare's hero, but the indie rock band) will release a new album, called The Monitor. The album features a few guest appearances, which include Cassie Ramone (Vivian Girls), Craig Finn (Hold Steady), Okey Canfield Chenoweth, Nolen Strals (Double Dagger) and several members of Ponytail and Wye Oak. And when I say "guest appearances, I don't mean only "feature vocals", but also "words spoken by people that play various Civil War-era figures". I must say I couldn't stop laughing at the thought that Cassie Ramone plays Jefferson Davis. That was a very interesting approach.

The band stated in an interview that The Monitor is their "way of celebrating the 148th anniversary of this historic event" (the Civil War). It's not about glorifying the war, it is more of a reminder that the true causes that brought to it are still present in the American society. It's true, the listener can really feel the well known "fuck the system" feeling emerging every once in a while, especially on the first single, Four Score and Seven, in which you can hear lyrics like "I was born to die like a dog, I was born to die just like a man". While we're here, I'd like to tell that this eight minutes long song is one of the most interesting tracks on the album – it starts with a slow, peaceful instrumental, and with lyrics like "After ten thousand years it's still us against them", and it ends in a powerful riot vibe, with "It's still us against them" screamed at the top of the lungs.

Other highlights are Titus Andronicus Forever, respectively ...And Ever. Yeah, you are allowed to say "ah, good old punk days" – they last around two minutes and the main verse is "The enemy is everywhere". Hah, what were we saying before about "fuck the system"? Even slow tracks like To Old Friends and New have the seed of riot in them. It all ends with an epic fourteen minutes long song, called The Battle of Hampton Roads, which relates to the album's title (it's a reference of the battle between two warships, the Monitor and the CSS Virginia, which took place on 1862). Actually, most of the tracks are longer than five minutes, which is a little surprising, but you will not get bored. In fact, after you listen to the album, you will probably forget the meaning of the word "boredom" at least for a couple of minutes.