If have become comfortable with the standard stylings of Andy Grammer’s brand of Pop Rock over the last decade, you will likely enjoy his latest album Monster. Released on October 4, 2024 via S-Curve/Hollywood Records, Monster marks his fifth studio album and features eleven songs, although, it spans a very brief 32 minutes. Outside of being a collection of more of the same from Grammar, the sound of this new release feels like another catchy mix of repetitive melodies for the singer-songwriter who some may argue can’t seem to break away from his own sound. A self-imposed trap that has taken him hostage, this is withstanding the slightly edgier style of 2019’s Naïve, however, it is really up to each listener to decide how they feel about Monster.
What cannot be denied about Grammer is the feel-good power of his music, especially the hits of the older times. This is something that is taken tenfold on his tours which is why his new tour titled the Greater Than: More Than One Man Tour will bring a big boost to his sales and listeners. The emotions he harnesses in most of his music are the types that are better enjoyed with a crowd singing and clapping along. The Emmy award-winning and multi-platinum artists have a definite niche and while he is delivering to them, it is barely enough and not anything that feels super new.
Monster has a middle school cross-country road trip vibe which could be his intended audience. Especially with lyrics like, “If nice guys finish last/ then save a spot in the back for me.” What Grammer has done here is express his feelings and struggles with love and life, but instead of creating an authentic experience, he has piped in what sounds like the closing theme to an animated Disney movie as his backtrack. There is not enough unique sound to lift his words past more than unrevised musings. It is apparent that Grammer is trying to channel his anger and utilize emotions other than happiness, this is new to his sound and should be commended. It just feels like he is too scared to let that emotion take over, so he has to chain it down and wash it out with upbeat strings. If he could let the anger speak, the parts of the album that are authentically happy and emotionally graceful would feel that much more fulfilling.
Many musicians use their platforms as podiums to express their inner emotions. This is not a new concept and is apparent even in the most widely accepted genre of Pop music. So many popular artists have found their voice by expressing themselves and letting an audience come to them. Monster is an attempt to do this but through an optimist lens. The title-track makes you want to sit down with Grammer and tell him it’s okay to be sad, but it’s not okay to be sad and write even sadder lyrics about it. The lack of rhetorical devices in the songs is upsetting and every image being sung about feels like an unpainted picture with a stunning lack of detail.
The real problem is the confusion within the sound of Monster and with the lyrics. For example, why are the lyrics “I’ve been numb” and “I don’t want to live” in a song with an upbeat folksy mandolin and inspiring chorus line? In short, it feels as if Grammer has gotten lost in the 2010s for the past decade. All his music has been commandeered by the Folk themes of the time when The Lumineers and Mumford & Sons were topping the charts. A distinct genre that is dated ten years in the past, it is likely to stay that way for a long time as well with how popular the bright sounds of Dream Pop and the electric alleyways of EDM have become. In short, this music is a barren middle ground in a time of polarized music tastes.
With this all in mind, it is a shame Grammer did not release Monster ten years earlier before Vance Joy’s Dream Your Life Away from 2010 and Of Monsters and Men’s 2011 album My Head is an Animal cemented themselves as the sentinels of this sound. What is funny is that these three albums all cover the same themes and use the same instruments, even down to the shouting chorus line, but the difference is Grammer has decided to bump up the brightness and sunniness to an extreme.
Overall, Andy Grammer’s Monster may please long-time fans. That stated, if you enjoy his older music, a few of the tracks on Monster will even be reminiscent of that time, but the majority of the album is debatably very underwhelming. For this reason, CrypticRock gives Monster 2 out of 5 stars.
){kind=link}
No comment