Album Review: The Beautiful Monument - I'm The Reaper

I've heard people say that Paramore kicked off the golden age of women in and fronting guitar music. That isn't wrong, but it's incomplete. Those who say that are likely not old enough to remember the last time such a thing was true, which was more of a golden age, because those women were getting on the charts, not just making records fans love. Alanis Morisette and No Doubt had huge hits, even Meredith Brooks was able to score a hit with "Bitch", and then there's the one I fell for; Natalie Imbruglia's cover of "Torn". That one isn't really 'rock', per se, but it's the one that won me over.

I say this to point out The Beautiful Monument is the sort of band I've been searching out for twenty years now. Whether it be Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway" album, or more recent outings like Shiverburn's "Road To Somewhere", pop-leaning rock with a great female voice is one of those things that I'm a sucker for.

So when I heard the singles from this album, "Deceiver" and "Stay", I was instantly on board. Those tracks were propulsive rock when pop sheen, and melodies that quickly became earworms. Perhaps the saddest thing I can say about this job is that finding hook-laden rock music is a rarity, so it's appreciated even more when it comes along. Those singles, with the bright melodies, deep lyrics, and heavy riffs in the bridges, pointed to exactly the kind of album we need more of.

That made it rather surprising to hear the record kick off with "Give Up", which is a softer, far more electronic-leaning song than what we were previewed. It took a minute to get, but that more atmospheric introduction to the album serves as a way of setting the stage for what is to come. It's a song that can probably only work in the leadoff slot, so credit goes to the band for making a smart decision putting it there, even if it does catch you a bit off-guard. Perhaps that was even the point.

I mentioned Shiverburn in my introduction, and it's a shame practically no one knows who I'm talking about, because that record is what The Beautiful Monument most reminds me of. Their music has plenty of guitar crunch to be rock, but the melodies are so lush and sticky you can mistake them for pop. Or at least the kind of pop I used to like, and that Pale Waves brought back last year. They perfectly straddle the line between rock and pop, where the balance lets them sit on the razor's edge. They could easily fall in either direction, but they hold their footing like a mountain goat on a rocky crag, which leaves them standing with few peers who can play this sound, and play it well.

I'll be honest here; "Deceiver" and "Stay" are the strongest songs on the album. The latter, in particular, is one of the most infectious songs I've heard all year. The remainder of the album is still really good, but the band put their best foot forward, for sure. That's the way it should be, really, as if they didn't do that I might not have heard them, and I certainly wouldn't have been pulled to listen to the record. I'm glad they did, and I did, because this is an album that hits the spot.

Lizi sings on "Cursed" that "you never get over the pain inside". That can be true, but it's easier when you can share it, and that is made easier when it gets put in a package that draws people in, rather than push them away. "I'm The Reaper" is an album working through demons, but the band does so with a sound that throws an arm around your shoulder, telling you we're all in this together. It's a far more effective way of dealing than being so cold and miserable it drags you further into the darkness with every note.

The Beautiful Monument has given us a tight, alluring record with "I'm The Reaper". If this album does indeed carry a schythe, the band's swing has buried it in my heart.