When Ima Robot slammed onto the scene in 2003, it seemed a bit like the modern version of The Escape Club, right down to vocalist Alex Ebert’s bizarre hip-hop/ragga vocal breakdowns. Ima Robot were incessantly catchy but naggingly hollow, the kind of band that littered tracks with f-bombs and sexual innuendo to derive a sophomoric sense of danger. For those of us who were measuring credibility based on genuine weirdness at the time—whether it was the gender-bending, psychedelic power-pop of Junior Senior, the Prince homage of the big Outkast album, or Electric Six’s crazed disco-rock—Ima Robot seemed like little more than a band with a bad haircut and a Parental Advisory label who’d be in the cutout bins before we rung in the new year. Something strange happened on the way to 2006, though: Ima Robot’s first record unexpectedly flexed some staying power, even if most everyone had difficulty grasping why. Ebert’s ridiculous mesh of Johnny Rotten and David Bowie may have come into play; the band’s taut mixture of ‘70s glam pop, ‘80s new wave, and ‘90s Britpop probably made some impact, too. In any case, the end result is that their new record, Monument to the Masses, winds up landing on some surprisingly sympathetic ears, and the good news is that it’s every bit as good as the debut. Like all good sophomore records, Monument expands the earlier template without breaking it. The best tracks, such as “Creeps Me Out� and “Cool Cool Universe� break into a surprisingly confident anthemic trot, and the victory lap is deserved: considering all of the reasons I feel like I’m supposed to hate this band, it seems almost impossible not to love them. Life’s too short to worry about your hipster cred: turn up Monument to the Masses and enjoy this decade’s Menswe@r while you can.
Jason Damas
Release date: September 12, 2006
Buy Album from CD Universe
