The Almost – Monster Monster

Album Reviews • Tuesday November 24th, 2009 • 11:02 am

You may not know it, but apparently Aaron Gillespie is one of the hardest working men in rock music. Obviously, if you’ve ever been to an Underoath show then you’ve seen how nearly every muscle in his body (and his fiery-red mop of hair) moves at a constant, kinetically upbeat pace as he wails away on the skins. And as plenty found out in early 2006, when Gillespie wasn’t behind the kit for the hardcore act from Florida, he was writing and recording all of the music (that means every instrument) for the debut album of his side project, The Almost.

But based on the success of Southern Weather (it debuted at #39 on Billboard’s Top 200 and earned a Top 10 single at Alternative radio) and the recent release of the band’s second album Monster Monster, for the amount of time that Gillespie puts into The Almost, it doesn’t seem entirely appropriate to deem it merely a “side project.” Granted, Gillespie isn’t Dave Grohl and The Almost aren’t the Foo Fighters, but with the growth shown on this record Gillespie definitely has The Almost sounding like a prominent rock band.

Contributing to that growth and the overall balance of Monster Monster was the involvement of Gillespie’s recruited musicians who helped with song writing process this time around. Although there is a distinct tone that Gillespie inevitably carried over from Southern Weather, the other four members of The Almost got a chance to influence this record and help shape the mold of the band. The results can heard from the opening track: thicker guitars, tighter drums, and of course, infectiously catchy hooks. This larger-than-life sound carries throughout the album with a dynamic blend of upbeat tracks and slower jams.

What is most surprising about Monster Monster is all of the different musical genres that the band ventures into without betraying their own sound. On “Hands,” the band proves they can create an arena- and radio-ready rock anthem complete with a chiming keyboard line plenty of crowd-chanting “whoa-o’s.” The bluesy, Americana feel behind “Hand Grenade” is the perfect backdrop to Gillespie’s Dylan-esque story-telling lyrics that touch on faith and the loss of innocence.

It on these slower, more reflective tracks where we hear Gillespie at his best. His inspirational lyrics are somewhat subtle, but they still manage to empathize to a much larger audience beyond himself: “Learning how to see/In this weird change of space/I’m learning to believe in this life…I feel you helping me” are the words that Gillespie sings to the rhythm of an acoustic guitar and a dobro on the album’s closer, “Monster.” The song slowly continues before exploding into a cathartic, Southern jam that has signs of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Gillespie may still have Underoath as his top priority, but for as solid and well-rounded as Monster Monster is, one has to wonder what The Almost could accomplish with Gillespie giving it his full attention.

Tagged as: Alternative Rock, Florida