Website: Ima Robot
The Inside Pulse:
The second release from this eclectic, electric pop collaboration, Monument To the Masses is without the Beck sidemen who were featured on the debut, but it’s clear that they weren’t the meat of the project. With a little bit from today’s popular garage rock acts and a little bit from some other planet, Ima Robot injects some oddity onto the scene while maintaining a strong, tightly-written pop style. “Eskimo Ride” might be ridiculously stupid, but by gum, it’s a blast.
Positives: First single “Creeps Me Out” is quite indicative of what one will find on Monument To the Masses: fun, jangly rock with all sorts of oddball sounds tossed in at all the right times. The disc is loaded with catchy hooks and clever lyrics as well as unexpected, random moments.
Negatives: Even with decidedly short playlengths, the Ima Robot’s songs start to grow a bit repetitive and tiring by the end of the album. In small doses, they’re brilliant, but as a whole, the magic is lost as the weirdness becomes standard and predictable.
Cross-breed: Jet is attacked by a synth-wielding Tenacious D.
Reason To Buy: Looking for a fun, upbeat record that adds some new elements to the retro pop-rock scene? Monument To the Masses isn’t a bad pick, especially if you’re throwing it on an iPod with the rest of your music and hitting “shuffle.”