REVIEW: Four Twenty Three by Monkey Jacket

Four Twenty Three by Monkey Jacket
warped punk-pop hit with heavy hands of progressive and ska
read the review // buy the album

I just listened to the evolutions of "Hello, Solo," from the mp3 I downloaded on PureVolume almost four years ago, to the much-improved version on The Don'ts of Motivational Speaking a year later, to track 4 on Four Twenty Three. Their voices literally deepen. I think that's the most hilarious. "I think this song's broken." "No, you just gotta hit it a few times. Like this." I also find that line kind of ironic, considering they've definitely hit this song a few times.

I also just read my last interview with Mick of Monkey Jacket, from three years ago, after their first album came out. To be clear, it wasn't my personal best interview. And to be fair, it was only my third, so I really had no idea what I was doing (as if I do now). Looking at all the questions and talk about tenor saxes and synth, it's a major blast from the past compared to Four Twenty Three--and music in general, seeing how these days it's almost a bigger deal to not have synth than it is to have it (see: review of The White City by Gunbunny).

I think there were a few things said in that interview that still remain relevant to their music (and the world at large) today:

"I like throwing a little bit of everything in when I write the songs, I don't want to just be one genre. One thing I've noticed is out of the people that I've talked to that like us, a lot of them like a lot of different music, not neccessarily just 'ska music.' I kind of like the idea of fitting in with ska bands (or bands of any genre), but not being ONLY that genre."

"I try to listen to a lot of stuff. It seems like there's so many different kinds of music, I can't really say I do or don't. A lot of people seem to think they listen to every type of music ever if they listen to rock, rap, and punk. I think a lot of people don't really realize there's so much out there. Recently, I've been trying to listen to different kinds of music, even if I don't really like it, just to see if there's something I can get out of it that might help me with my writing, or even just one little part in the song I might really enjoy. I used to just disregard a song if I didn't like it right away, but now I'm trying harder to see what they all have to offer."

"I don't like to straight-up explain things in the lyrics I write, so they're a little disguised."

It blows my mind that that interview was three whole years ago. I have trouble with time passing and things actually changing. Whatever. I love the fact that Monkey Jacket's music has changed so much in terms of sound and genre (and line-up) over the past few years, and yet the same principles and rough influences remain the same. Perhaps this is why I've always liked Monkey Jacket so much; they've established a foundation and direction but still push themselves to experiment. I hope I can or will be able to say the same about The Overcast--and myself.