Tremulous Monk Sparkle Like Your Shoes. Release Date : Fall 2004. Label: Paper Cup Music. Rating: Andy doesn't dig rating stuff. There's something about a dinging chime/piano/xylophone that makes something instantly quaint and cute. This album has got a lo-fi vibe to it, kinda folky without being yokelly. There's some great grumbling guitars to start off "Dry Your Eyes." Really really great-sounding dirty guitars. Simple instruments, understated drums, and oddly, a little bit o' Limblifter. It all includes twiny country bits, slow tunes, kinda (I think) unintentionally saucy. There's something a bit loungey about "Sister Love Her" with its whistly flutey noises (ebow?). It's a nice album so far but I don't drag a huge vibe off of it. It doesn't make me want to do anything really, doesn't remind me much of anything. It's sweet and unchallenging to listen to, and certainly has its charm, but it's a bit unspectacular. By no means bad, but it lacks a certain punch. The entire songs kind of sound like breakdowns rather than decent progressions. Like it's a quiet point in the song that should come in just before the big climax of the tune. Instead, the entire songs have that low tension-building feel, but it's never rewarded with some huge cacophony of music. You're going up town / you got a pretty nice face... that's kind of cutting don't you think? It's as unspectacular a comment as the disc is. "Well, I guess it's pretty. Sorta. Let's have tea." Yeah, I'm underwhelmed. It's a decent CD, but it needs something grabby. Occasionally, neat little guitar riffs pop up, but that alone can't carry everything, and even then, they are so without backing... "Sometimes She Needs Me" is decent. It's closer to what I imagine the rest of the CD should be. There's almost no tempo variation in the whole thing collection; they're all the same songs. But "Sometimes She Needs Me" has a bit more layering, feels more emotional. There's a lot of chopped up experiments with instruments all over it seems, like he's trying to have neat riffs, weird guitar noises, unexpected jingling things... but they're all tossed together unfluidly. That's a shame. He's trying and is so close to making utter magic. Maybe the next album will tie all the elements together better. Right now it sounds like accidental Cake. I love this great early noise on "Are You COming Out?" That has the greatest oomph out of anything on the entire CD, but then it cuts to a doinky chorus bit. Song of choice : Despite that doinky chorus bit, "Are You Coming Out?" is still my top track. -Andy Scheffler Elsewhere Tremulous Monk website Published : February, 2005.