|
Review Navigator   FeaturesReviews
 | FarsideThe Monroe Doctrine1999 Revelation 
  Review by: Scruffy See others by this writer Only registered users can post comments 
 
Published on May 11th 2007
There’s a reason that in a 2006 issue of Alternative Press, the head of Revelation Records placed Farside’s The Monroe Doctrine among the top five albums the label has ever released. What I can’t understand is how this album seems to have slipped off the radar and into relative obscurity. While the rest of the band’s output was good for what it was, The Monroe Doctrine is one of the best albums of the nineties, one that seems to nod to everything from melodic punk/hardcore to indie rock and even post-punk.
Scream the saddest song you know.The diversity of this album is incredible, too. The songs range from slow and sympathetic (“I Hope You’re Unhappy,” “The Slowdance”) to fast and very angry (“Teach Me How to Die,” “Bled”), yet the contrast only serves to add importance to each song. The aforementioned diversity, however, is also one of the few weak points of the album. There are a handful of songs --from joke song “The Lonesome Ballad of El Bobo the Cranky,” “Liz Hurley,” which sounds like a riff they couldn’t develop into a song but wanted to use anyway, and “Save It for the Children,” which sounds like a joke song with its death metal growl, but may, indeed, be serious -- that bring the album down, if only momentarily. But the musicianship of this album makes up for any missteps anywhere else. The Monroe Doctrine is one of the best examples of what a band can do if they really try. Every instrument -- bass, guitar, drums and vocals -- does exactly what it needs to do every second of this disc. Even the folksy cover of Graham Parker’s “Blue Highway” doesn’t seem out of place (and it also manages to show off how amazing Popeye’s voice is). It may have taken Farside five years to put this album out, but they clearly spent every moment making it the best it could be. It took Dear You a few years to become revered as the perfect album it is. It’s possible that this album, someday, will get its due as well. Go get this album now. You will not regret it. People who liked this also liked:           Please login or register to post comments. What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?
This is by far one of the best albums ever release, not just on Revelation. It's one of the only albums that always stays on my mp3 player, stays in my car, stays on my computer, etc. Just absolutely amazing. Too bads Shades Apart's last album blew unbelievable goats. At least they had the sense to realize it and pack it in. This is the greatest from FARSIDE. Rev has anyway the greatest bands in post hardcore in the 90's: SENSE FIELD, TEXAS IS THE REASON, WHIRLPOOL, SHADES APART... after spending more and more time with this album i do have one complaint. a few of the songs seem to drag on past their due point, very much like fifteen's choice of a new generation album. the soungs would be beyond amazing instead of just merely amazing if they stopped at about the 3 minute mark J Dilla's remix of Runnin' is one of my favourite songs ever. To be on topic I saw a 7-inch of this band at one of my local record shops, I hope it is still there when I go next. Iz tha song 'Runnin' on this album? I always like Rochambeau, but never checked out anything else by them. ya mama is good for a joke song but passing me by will always be my favorite pharcyde song This is a crazy good album, but I still like Rigged more and find myself going back to that one the most of their catalog. i finally got this record the other day. hope that you're unhappy is one of the best songs i've ever herad (though i had heard it frist on hte godmoney soundtrack). incredible stuff here, everyone should check this out if you haven't already I still like Rigged a little more, but just because I listened to it in a time of my life that had a lot of meaning to me and the album always reminds me ... this record really is a gem ... Popeye is now playing guitar in Jeff Caudills (Gameface) band and doing backups ... "ignaurus" by into another has got to be one of the great under-rated records of all time. good christ. if you're into 90s revelation bands, do yourself a favor and check that shit out. A really amazing album. A little dated today, but some of the songs are all-time greats. Also, this album has the greatest sad breakup song ever. I would say that i come across one song from this album every couple of months and am inpsired to listen to the rest of the album. This was a quality group that didn't force their output. Theymight be gone, but they put out quality not quantity. "statues of snow" is one of my all-time favorite songs. I never heard this album, but Rigged was great. I kind of forgot about this band but now I'm going to seek it out. I wrote this review a long time ago. I'm really glad to see that I'm still proud of it, though, if I had it to do again, it'd probably be twice as long. This is one of the best albums ever kids. Up there with Dear You, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Reconstruction Site, Perfecting Loneliness and others of the ilk from the past ten or fifteen years. Popeye's first band was Borderline I believe. This album is great. Nice review, definitely nailed the "weak" points. I love the record, the diversity is phenomenal, a couple tracks may catch you off guard. not the head of revelation, it was their A&R guy. the 5 was the way it is comp, gorilla biscuits, into another ignaurus, youth of today we're not in this alone and this. great record. I love this album. I think you nailed the only weak points for me when I listen to it as well. Although every now and then I have fun listening to El Bobo El Bobo. Again great album. To the first person who said he still hasn't checked this album out, do it. one of the greatest records i own. im happy to see it on this site. i understand why your are putting lyrics down on review. the lyrics are what does it for me. i skate to this. i drive to this. i sleep to this. i play this and everyone of the other records by farside on a daily basis. finally got the 12" scrap. what was the name of popeyes first band. i think it was on conversion records? definitely one of the best records of all time. at least for me. i used to listen to farside since 1993... and was totally blown away by this LP six years later. too bad it turned out to be their swan song. I dig this much more as I've aged. Really great record. ahhh fucking men. this is one of those records that i'm always meaning to check out and then never do. maybe i will one of these fine days. |
