Stream Summer of the Mosquito from Monnone Alone

In quiet circles around the Internet, folks are on the edge of their seats waiting to hear the new Monnone Alone LP; the former Lucksmiths guitarist is held in high regard, and Summer of the Mosquito largely lives up to those expectations. The record is fill with mostly sunny numbers, apt for an LP with such a title…though you might find a melancholy tune hanging about. Regardless…people will fawn over this for some time, so I wanted you to be one of the first to hear it all the way through. Stream it or Buy it from these folks: Lost and Lonesome (Australia), Meritorio (Spain), Emotional Response (US), and Royal Mint (Finland). For an added bonus…you can click after the jump and read my thoughts on each track!

Summer of the Mosquito – Opening tinkering breaks way for the sunshine to drop in on the whole LP. This is where power-pop is meant to hang out, bursting with melody and lightly jangling guitar chords.

I Wanna Hide in Yesterday – I got tricked by the opening stomp here, only for Monnone to pull back the cover and reveal my favorite track on the record. This has this nostalgic feel to it, as if the punks had grown up to write pop songs. Those “yesterday” backing vocals are just the icing on the cake.

Jerry’s Can – I don’t know what it is about this song, but I can’t help but to be reminded of Beulah; it’s weird how your brain is focused and then drifts away. There’s this haziness that works through the vocals, which again adds to our summer vibe.

Cut Knuckle – I’m sorry Mark. When I pressed play it was only at 665…then it jumped to 667. This track, however, is an obvious hit. Ever since I heard it, I’ve loved the moment where Monnone sings “I won’t let it drag us in/I won’t let it break the skin.” It’s a slight change in the song’s direction but a surefire way to write a hit.

The Dystopian Days of Yore – This song has this pop meets psychedelic vibe to it (though admittedly, there’s hints of a similar sound earlier on) all the way to the little hint of organ; it also has this sort of throwback swagger to it that charms in a different manner. Oh, and one can’t ignore the constant alliteration within the title and the track itself. Stay tuned beyond 3 minutes for a special ride to the song’s close.

Feeling Together Feels Alright – When I listen to this track I want it to be the feature number in a high end battle of the bands, where all the bands cover this tune. I’d only invite three bands, Monnone Alone (to offer up the original), Teenage Fanclub, and Television Personalities. There’s something that makes this feel power-power-punk, and the sparkle of the guitar gets me every time.

Yo Dad – My first few runs through this record, this was the one that I wasn’t 100% sold on; I didn’t dislike it, it just took a minute or two to resonate. There’s these ‘woo-oohs’ that sold me, however, it was the way the syllables get emphasized that really got me in the end.

Tumble Downs – This was the track that made me realized how much I loved this record. I couldn’t get that guitar shuffle out of my head, nor the meandering solo in the song’s middle. It then popped into my brain that this might be my favorite track after all, but then I just decided I was wrong and that it was simple…the whole album rips. Oh! It also has a nice little instrumental outro that I thought was a nice touch.

Strollers – This track is the most obvious nod to Mark’s newly established fatherhood; having become a father not too long ago, I can definitely identify with the lyrical content in this one. It’s also the lone slow-burn on the album, giving you just a slight bit of respite from the album’s energy.

Do it Twice – As I wrote this, I went back to my favorite LPs of this year, and not one has as great a closer as this one; it not only stands alone as a single, but sort of summarizes the whole of Summer of the Mosquito. There’s hooks in the vocals, like the delivery of “I wanna make the same mistakes,” added with some punchy doo-wop backing vocals. You’ll get fuzzy riffs that seem like they’re tearing through your speaker, while also getting a slight contemplative respite around the 1.5 minute mark.

There’s my two cents. This record is great. It’s every thing I needed in my life at this very moment. I hope it’s the same for you.