AWmusic

In 2006 Brampton’s Moneen took a huge step forward with the release of The Red Tree. The album found the band finally cashing in on all the potential critics and fans had been boasting and trumpeting for years. The songs were rich and deep, and knew when to rock and when slow it down. With the possibility of their potential having finally been reached, Moneen took their time, three years of their time crafting their Follow up to The Red Tree.

Now, with the release of The World I Want To Leave Behind, they have taken two giant steps backwards, leaving their naysayer to gain pull out the “pretentious” card that had dogged them through their earlier releases The Theory of Harmonic Value and Are We Really Happy With Who We Are Right Now.

The introesque title track that proceeds the debut single, Hold That Sound, sets the disappointingly slow and subdued tone for the whole album. Musicians with as much talent as Moneen and the back catalogue to back it up, need to embrace their energy, and from beginning to end, The World I Want To Leave Behind feels like an exercise in suppressing that energy and power.

Hold That Sound itself sways back and forth from awesome to missing the mark like a fat kid on a teeter totter, pushed forward by the guitars and reverb and then the next moment held back by the lacking of the lyrics.

At every turn, Moneen tease that they are going to give’er tits and rock hard, but they continuously pull back right at the moment that they should be taking it up another notch.

The track Believe feels like lead singer Kenny bridges found an unreleased Our Lady Peace song and Moneenified it as the lyrics come across as mixture of a way too touchy little league coach’s softly whispered advice, and a run of the mill middle school graduation valedictory address.

The Long Count comes in with a strong riff, and pounding drums, the whole thing riddled with feedback, in a good way. In a great way really. When Bridges comes in, you want him to blow the doors off, but he remains subdued, and the lyrics feel ethereal and far away, until finally he lets loose, making the Long Count the album’s stand out track, and leaves you wondering how it took till track 7 to actually sound like a punk/hardcore/post hardcore band.

By closing track The Glasshouse, Moneen have lulled you almost to sleep, so thank God it starts with some of the screaming that the rest of the record could have benefited greatly from, and it finally feels like you’re listening to the band that crafted The Red Tree, unfortunately it’s the last track, and sometimes, no matter how good desert is you can’t get the taste of a poorly seasoned pork roast and dry potato’s out of your mouth.

I don’t want this review to seem like I’m picking Moneen apart, as The World I Want To Leave Behind has it’s moments, and their musicianship shines through, but for me this album completely missed the mark and missed what could have been a great opportunity for the band to cement their place within a scene that needs the right kind of innovations to keep it going strong.

For me the World I Want To Leave Behind left me wanting the band that made The Red Tree, and created the song Don’t Ever Tell Locke What He Can’t Do, which is unfair, but nonetheless, it is what is. Either way, give The World I Want To Leave Behind a spin or two, and see for yourself. Music is a personal choice, and I am but one man with one opinion. An opinion that, in this particular instance thought that Moneen would have been better off not releasing this album, I know I would have been better off if they hadn’t.

Moneen – Hold That Sound
Moneen – The Glasshouse
Moneen – The Long Count

Tags: Aaron Long, album, Don't Ever Tell Locke What He Can't Do, Moneen, The Red Tree, The World I Want To Leave Behind