Monkey Power Trio: On Legs of Lions 7″ (Pocahontas Swamp Machine Recordings, 2021)
July 13, 2021 at 6:09 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment
Monkey Power Trio: On Legs of Lions 7″
The legend of Monkey Power Trio bears repeating every time they put out a record. Originally from Ypsilanti, the five members of the group meet up exactly one day per year, record a spontaneous session with no pre-planned ideas or material, and eventually put out the best results as a record. They plan on doing this until every member of the band has died, and the final surviving member will record a solo album. They’ve managed to keep their promise so far, and they’re still putting out records on their own label.
This record documents the 23rd day/year of their existence, and was recorded in Baltimore in 2017. Unlike other Monkey Power Trio releases, which are albums or EPs, this is just a simple, focused 45 with an A-side and a B-side. It’s definitely as whimsical and off-the-cuff as their other releases, but there’s maybe less of an overtly jokey tone to it. “The Crabs Know” is a harmony-filled folky indie pop tune with whistling, ukulele, a drum machine beat that imitates a live drummer, and watery psychedelic guitar which threatens to smother the song at the end. “Liquor Truck” is much sillier, a drinking song with a vague funk influence and vocals ranging from thin falsetto to drinking buddy swagger. Both songs are a bit awkward, but there’s still a kernel of sincerity to them, even if the band themselves say that they’re less amused by their commitment to keep the band going.
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