Ima Robot. - Monument to the Masses

In 2003, Ima Robot. released their self-titled debut album – a lovely electro-pop romp which was at times beautiful, at times funny, and for the most part, composed of raw awesomeness. The band's unique brand of caffeinated rock would certainly have been adored in the current era of synth groups like The Killers and Panic! At the Disco. Ima Robot.'s first effort was, unfortunately, ahead of its time.

Three years later, they are back with a follow-up album (Monument to the Masses) and hopes of seizing greater popularity now that keyboards are cool again.

Sadly, the album boasts a collection of shockingly unoriginal music. The opening track, "Disconnect," clearly rips off Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart." The closer, "Lovers in Captivity," closely mimics the catchy hook from The Kinks' "Lola." Everything in between is a rough carbon copy of Devo, Tears for Fears, Duran Duran and the DDR soundtrack.

Even worse than being unoriginal, Monument to the Masses is frightfully boring. With the exception of stand-out track "Stick It to the Man" (a nod to Ima Robot.'s former over-excited style), the songs tend to bleed into one another. There isn't a tenth of the musical range that the band demonstrated in their promising debut. Ninety percent of the album sounds like different takes on the same song.


Ima Robot. - "Creeps Me Out
What happened?!

The most apparent answer is that two of Ima Robot.'s crucial band members left the group. Bassist Justin Medal-Johnsen and drummer Joey Waronker (both of whom used to play in Beck's band) wrote rhythms that grounded Ima Robot.'s new-wave tendencies with energetic hip-hop influences. This made for an interesting sound, and the music was more, well, fun. Without these two, the rest of the band went overboard trying to emulate its favorite '80s artists.

Truth be told, the only significant link between Monument to the Masses and Ima Robot. is frontman Alex Ebert, whose distinctive voice sounds much like Eminem might if he decided to sing instead of rap. His voice was oddly appropriate for the band's eclectic first album. In fact, it was one of Ima Robot's most individualizing aspects. Ebert's strange vocals are subdued only slightly on the newest album, but they feel grossly out of place when sung over the mellow keyboard and guitar chords that permeate the record.

Moreover, his lyrics are ridiculous. It's true that Ebert was never a brilliant lyricist, but he refrained from tackling serious topics on Ima Robot. This made his obtuse lyrics bearable and, at times, humorous. On Monument to the Masses, he actually attempts to engage in politics, resulting in lines such as, "Information when we were so young/ That we're the nation that's free and fun.../ Education to keep blind and dumb/ Our generations for years to come." Is that a coherent complaint? Does he really know what he's worried about?

Perhaps Ima Robot. will gain more fans with this album. The hook-laden single "Creeps Me Out" screams for radio play, and that proud minority who misses the 80's will dig the band's new sound. Most of us, however, would be better ignoring this release.

Originally published for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2006/oct/05/ima-robot-offer-a-mechanicaland-sterile-take-on-80/