Moneen
The Red Tree
Vagrant Records 

I’ll start this off by saying that I’m not a huge fan of emo-rock. I’ve never wanted to purchase a Taking Back Sunday record, or listen to Thursday in public. I don’t like being called an “emo”, and I correct people when they refer to me as such. But with all of this aside, I actually love the new Moneen record. This Toronto band is bringing the goods.

The record starts off with an inspiring “Yes I can” in Don’t Ever Tell Locke What He Can’t Do. This theme is evident throughout the record with the melodic, metal guitar work and fast paced drums creating an overall upbeat vibe. There is still angst, and the singer is almost near a scream at times (it is emo, not quite screamo), but that only adds to the album. Instead of making you cry, Moneen will make you want to get up and dance to their music. I can only imagine that their live shows pack just as much energy. Just as well, Moneen also have the ability to slow it down, which is seen on tracks 5, 10, and 11, and still keep the listener interested.

Moneen have earned comparisons to emo pioneers like The Get Up Kids and Sunny Day Real Estate, which makes sense because The Red Tree is not anything you haven’t heard before. But that doesn’t seem to take away from its replay value. I tried to pick apart individual tracks, but I couldn’t bring myself to separate them. Each song can hold its own on the record, but also act as a smaller piece of a larger, more epic, puzzle. You could make a lot of jokes about Canadians here, but when it comes to music, they are getting it right at the moment.

Website
Moneen website