This will be a weekly update where I contribute my thoughts on vinyl records from my collection. I love all the recordings that I will cover. I am by no means trying to be a music critic. I just want to share my memories in hopes that it inspires you to listen and create memories of your own.
I’ll be kicking things off with Titus Andronicus’s 2010 album, The Monitor. The album came out just as I was entering my freshman year. It became the soundtrack of my college experience at Michigan State.
Titus Andronicus is a band from New Jersey that is founded by Patrick Stickles who is the guitarist, lyricist, and singer. Patrick continues to be the driving force for the group. The rest of the band rotates from album to album.
The “genre” of Titus’s Andronicus’s music tends to change from album to album. I’ll try my best not to categorize music into genres. I believe F. Scott Fitzgerald made a profound point in the Great Gatsby when Nick Carraway states that “Reserving judgements is a matter of infinite hope”. I believe subconscious judgment becomes a factor when a genre is placed on music before it’s listened to.
The namesake for the band comes from William Shakespeare’s play of the same title. My understanding is that the play tells the story of Titus Andronicus killing the sons of Tamora, Queen of the Goths, and then feeding her with meat pies that contain the remnants of her sons all while being unbeknownst to her. The terrible act is in retaliation to Tamora’s sons assaulting and mutilating Titus Andronicus’s daughter Lavinia.
While I have not read the play, I have seen the infamous adaptation in South Park where Cartmen feeds Scott Tenorman’s parents to Scott in a bowl of chili as an act of vengeance. I’m not sure what the play has to do with the band’s name. I do know that you shouldn’t mess with Cartmen or Titus Andronicus.
The “Monitor” is a 65 minute album consisting of 10 tracks and is the second release from the group. Kevin McMahon produced, recorded and mixed the LP at Marcata Recording in New Paltz, NY according to the liner notes. The core members include Patrick Stickles and Liam Betson on guitars & vocals, Ian Graetzer on bass, and Eric Harm on drums. There are also over a dozen other musicians on the record playing various string and horn instruments.
The project is best described as a concept album with themes from the civil war. The title “The Monitor” comes from the USS Monitor, the first ironclad warship used in the civil war. It’s a very ambitious venture with Civil War references throughout.
I am by no means a history buff and the excerpts from Civil War speeches go way over my head. What resonated with me were the poignant lyrics on anxiousness surrounding the future and living in the moment knowing that there will be regrets later.
The poetic lyrics and bombastic guitar riffs are the standouts. This album cements Patrick Stickles as one of the best 21st century writers in my book. Patrick is able to sum up what it feels like coming of age in the 2010s being self conscious with the over abundance of knowledge that social media brings. All through subtle lyrics that relate back to the Civil War.
My favorite track is the 14 minute epic closer “The Battle of Hampton Roads”. I played the song at full volume in its entirety from my crappy Toyota Camry speakers and sang along to every word. I would scream out the lyrics “Is there a human alive that can look themselves in the face without winking, or say what they mean without drinking”. These lyrics rang so true when I listened to professors and other students speak as if they were reading off an agenda instead of expressing their actual thoughts. It was infuriating to experience, and the song perfectly captured my emotions.
I also love the track “Theme From Cheers”. It was one of my go to listens when I was stumbling back to my place after a long night of too much drinking. I realized even at the time that my level of partying was not sustainable and I related to the narrator of the song who seemed to be poking fun at those who made excuses for their debauchery. On the surface, the song seems to praise drinking, but I feel it’s quite the opposite when listening closer.
“No Future Part Three: Escape From No Future” is another standout track. The chorus of “You will always be a loser” is so joyous especially when singing along in a crowd. The lyrics likely come across as self-deprecating to many upon first listen, but I believe it to be freeing. If we all realize we are “losers” we can laugh at ourselves and not take everything so serious. I am truly scared of the people who don’t comprehend they can be a “loser” at times.
Seeing Titus Andronicus perform at the Empty Bottle in 2019 was one of my more memorable concert going experiences. It was my first time at the Chicago punk bar. I got kicked out before another concert in 2021. That’s a story for another time though and I carry no ill will towards the venue.
Titus Andronicus took the stage around 11 PM that night and played for over an hour. The crowd sang along to every song. To this day, I haven’t sweat as much at a show. I think it was a mix of my dancing and the confined space.
After the show, I purchased a vinyl copy of “The Monitor” from the merch booth. Patrick Stickles stayed after the show to sign merch and I was the last in line. He was very friendly and gracious. I asked him what it was like to be on comedian Marc Maron’s podcast back in 2014 and he shared with me that it was interesting, but that he would have been more anxious had he known how big the platform was.
Later that same month in 2019, Stickles would play a song with Maron on stage in LA. It was a special moment for me to see that all come full circle.
