Round Eye — Monster Vision (Sudden Death)
This is a really weird album. There’s very few recordings I come across these days where I say to myself, “what the fuck am I listening to.” For better or worse, Monster Vision (Sudden Death) is one of those albums. Sonically, they have a lot of references that I caught, yet had a hard time putting my finger on. As the album transpires from beginning to end, it gets stranger and stranger. From the start, Round Eye comes off as noisy, rough around the edges punk n’roll with a vague rockabilly influence. I hear a little Stooges, a little Agent Orange perhaps, maybe some Butthole Surfers. Deceptively, I think this is what the whole album is going to sound like. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Mid-way through “Tailspin (Hey Dude!)” comes on and they throw in some 50’s doo-wop and I think to myself “well that’s unexpected.” From there things take an even stranger twist. Tracks like: “Pink House,” “The Cat the Mouse and the Dog in Between,” and “Curami,” come on and I’m thinking holy Oingo Boingo. I’m hearing a whole lot of 80’s new wave and post-punk flourishes going on; weirdo B-52s sounding keys, John Lydonesque crooning, with some free jazz noodling thrown in for good measure. It’s a bizarre collision of melody and cacophony that shouldn't make sense, but strangely does. I might be way off base, but I almost feel like Round Eye share a spiritual kinship with Naked City. Sonically, Monster Vision is nowhere as schizophrenic as say Torture Garden, but there is a shared inclination toward genre-bending and experimentation.
I would be remiss to not mention that half of this album is comedic commentary by Joe Bob Briggs. For the record I had to look up Joe Bob Briggs, who sounds a lot like Larry the Cable guy. Adopting the persona of a Texas redneck, he is known for his commentary on trash cinema and had a program called “MonsterVision.” Hence the title of the album.
I’ll be honest I wasn’t sure if I was the right person to review this album at first. Initially it just didn't seem to be in my realm of musical interest. I have to admit, after subsequent listens, Monster Vision (Sudden Death) grew on me. It has enough WTF moments to grab my attention, which is no easy feat for this reviewer’s jaded ears. I bet these folks put on one hell of a live performance.