Ima Robot - Monument to the Masses

This LA band got their start in the early '90s. Their second release, Monument to the Masses, is the follow up to their self-titled debut. The album starts out with the David Bowie-esque “Disconnect,” and moves quickly into the white-guy-rapping-over-guitar-and-synth track “Cool Cool Universe,” then into the apparently Prince inspired track “The Beat.” While lead singer Alex Ebert is an admitted rap and hip hop fan, the influence rarely shines through. The album does have a rather unified aesthetic, although each song sounds suspiciously familiar in that bad 80s, VH1 at two in the morning way. The cover sound feel is rarely endearing in sophomore releases. In this case the songs are nearly endearing. This album is overloaded with drum machines, left over synth patches, Bowie-esque vocals, chorused and 80's guitars. While songs like “Happy Annie,” have a more down-to-earth sincerity, songs such as “Creeps Me Out” dare the listener to find any real meaning. [www.imarobot.com]