Album Review: Michael Monroe - I Live Too Fast To Die Young

I still remember what a shock it was when I played "Blackout States" for the first time. I didn't have any history with Hanoi Rocks, nor had I heard Michael Monroe's previous solo albums, so it was a fresh experience to hear that dirty little rock 'n roll record. I loved that album, and when "One Man Gang" followed, I loved that record nearly as much. I went back, and neither Hanoi Rocks nor Michael's other solo albums were able to grab me the same way. His band hit on something special at that moment in time, and they are attempting to carry that onward to a third straight record of accidental genius.

Why do I call it accidental? If we're being honest, what Michael and his band are doing is essentially party rock. It has the grit and dinge of old 70s proto-punk, but it's music intended for us to have a good time and sing along with. And when the lyrics in the past have been name-checks to members of The Ramones, and talk about having a bucket of piss dumped on someone, we aren't dealing with the most artistically minded music. That's not a complaint, by the way. What I love about the last two records is being able to put them on, turn my brain off, and just enjoy letting the energy wash over me.

That's what I was hoping for from this record, and it's what the singles prior to the album delivered. "Murder The Summer Of Love" is a propulsive number that hits the classic rock beats, and even throws in a 'lighters in the air' moment that is a bit unexpected, while "Can't Stop Falling Apart" is a light-hearted romp that uses a subtle bit of piano to add some boogie into the mix. Rock isn't known as a genre for getting up and shaking your stuff, but this is the kind of song that would make it more likely.

The band turns darker on "Derelict Palace", which has a country swing to it, and a mood that is unlike anything else on this trilogy of records. It's cool, and captivating, with the exception of the decision to throw an echoing vocal effect in after the first chorus which is so loud and distracting I thought my copy of the album was glitching. It doesn't ruin the song, but it's deeply unpleasant, and such a strange thing to throw in when it adds nothing to the composition.

When "All Fighter" finally hits the real chorus, and the gang all sings together, there's nothing quite like it. There's something intoxicating about the comradery their music conjures up, where even listening to a record is like being in a sweaty club of like-minded rock lovers. Rock music isn't always fun, and often feels tacky when it's trying to be, but it's effortless when it's done right. That's what Michael Monroe and his band are able to do.

As a wordsmith, I appreciate how the ballad "Antisocialite" finds a new wrinkle, and doesn't recycle the now played out line about 'antisocial media'. The intent is the same, but this says it in a way that catches my attention, and sounds like there was more thought put into it than merely regurgitating what is out there in the discourse. Of course, 'thought' is a relative term here. The beauty of Michael Monroe's music is that it doesn't sound like someone with his head up his own backside, trying to inflate his ego with lofty thoughts. That's something I am guilty of at times, so I know a thing or two about the subject.

No, what Michael and his band have done is once again find the heart of rock and roll that Huey Lewis once told us is still beating. It absolutely is, if you listen carefully enough, but it comes through loud and clear when Michael Monroe is the one playing it. With "I Live Too Fast To Die Young", we now have a trilogy of records that are the absolute best of dirty, old-school rock 'n roll. Michael Monroe has not only delivered once again one of the best records of the year, but now also one of the best album trilogies of this still relatively young century.