| A Better Dystopia | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Studio album by Monster Magnet | ||
| Released | May 21 2021 | |
| Recorded | Summer / Fall 2020 at Freak Shop Studios in New Jersey | |
| Genre | Stoner rock · psychedelic rock · garage rock | |
| Length | 47:42 | |
| Label | Napalm Records | |
| Producer | Monster Magnet | |
| Monster Magnet chronology | ||
| Mindfucker (2018) |
A Better Dystopia (2021) |
TBA (TBA) |
A Better Dystopia is the eleventh studio album by the New Jersey stoner rock band Monster Magnet, released in May 2021 via Napalm Records. Recorded in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, it would be the first album to feature bassist Alec Morton. The album would notably be a covers album, comprised of songs by bands from the late 1960s and early 1970s.
History[]
In a 2020 interview Wyndorf would state that work had begun on an eleventh record, stating that "It's a crisis time; the last thing I want to do is ask for money. I don't think fans owe me anything. I owe them something: a good record.".[1] On 23 March 2021 it would be announced that an eleventh album would be finished and ready for release. A Better Dystopia, set to be released on 21 May 2021, would be a full covers album.[2] The band intended to write new songs but ran with the covers idea when revisiting old bands from the late sixties and early seventies, noting a similar paranoia with today's society.
In the official press statement for A Better Dystopia, Dave Wyndorf would explain the birth of A Better Dystopia:
| “ | "We all agreed that we would be bored out of our minds within a month of lockdown. MONSTER MAGNET loves the road. It’s a lifestyle. So, I considered our options. Rather than panhandle on the internet, hawking masks and Zoom-rocking practice sessions for dollars, I suggested we record a “bunker record”. A total DIY affair (band only) recorded and mixed in Bob Pantella’s small but potent Freak Shop Studios/rehearsal space right here in New Jersey. But what to record?
I didn’t feel much like writing, but working on anything was better than watching the news as hospitals filled up, people died, and American politics went bat-shit crazy. The world roared “Dystopia! Apocalypse! Revolution!”. I’d heard those words before, and they brought to mind my childhood in the late 60’s/early 70’s… and the music… and short playlist of songs (just one of many) that I’d been carrying around with me on my whatever device to listen to before shows. Of course, these tunes have also been in my head for more or less my whole life. These were not the popular hits of the time. This was like a playlist from the 4th dimension… strange bits of musical obscurity, mostly dredged up from that inglorious and freaky “twilight zone” time that preceded Arena Rock, Heavy Metal, Reggae and Disco. A no-man’s land of hard rock that still had remnants of psychedelia and garage punk but had abandoned any notion of “flower power” or frat house fun. And of course, they rocked. Yeah, these songs were it. The great bands whose music we lovingly interpret here were (and some still are) on the fringe, underrated, and in our opinion, really, really cool. I think that’s reason enough for us to do this album. Furthermore, A Better Dystopia is a collection of songs that I think reflect (knowingly or unknowingly) a paranoid time in history, but also deflect that same paranoia by owning it, fully. And of course, it ROCKS." |
” |
— Dave Wyndorf, Official Statement via The Obelisk [3]
|
Tracklist[]
NOTE: Track 13 is a bonus track exclusive to physical editions.
- 1. The Diamond Mine (1:58) (Dave Diamond)
- 2. Born to Go (5:47) (Hawkwind)
- 3. Epitaph for a Head (2:08) (JD Blackfoot)
- 4. Solid Gold Hell (3:27) (The Scientists)
- 5. Be Forewarned (3:26) (Macabre)
- 6. Mr. Destroyer (5:41) (Poobah)
- 7. When The Wolf Sits (4:58) (Jerusalem)
- 8. Death (2:58) (The Pretty Things)
- 9. Situation (2:16) (Josefus)
- 10. It's Trash (2:10) (The Cave Men)
- 11. Motorcycle (Straight to Hell) (3:24) (Table Scraps)
- 12. Learning to Die (6:28) (Dust)
- 13. Welcome to The Void (3:21) (Morgen)
Personnel[]
- Dave Wyndorf - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals, Producer
- Phil Caivano - Guitar, Bass, Backing Vocals, Engineer, Producer
- Bob Pantella - Drums, Percussion, Engineer, Producer
- Garrett Sweeny - Guitar
- Alec Morton - Bass
- Carrie Wyndorf - Additional Vocals (3)
- Betty Wyndorf - Additional Vocals (13)
- Joe Tait - Artwork
External Links[]
References[]
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ The Obelisk Monster Magnet Announce A Better Dystopia Covers LP out May 21, accessed 23 March 2021
| V·T·E Monster Magnet | |
|---|---|
| Current Members | Dave Wyndorf • Phil Caivano • Bob Pantella • Garrett Sweeny • Alec Morton |
| Past Members | John McBain • Tim Cronin • Tom Diello • Ed Mundell • Jim Baglino • Joe Calandra • Jon Kleiman • Michael Wildwood • Chris Kosnik |
| Studio Albums | Spine of God • Superjudge • Dopes To Infinity • Powertrip • God Says No • Monolithic Baby! • 4-Way Diablo • Mastermind • Last Patrol • Mindfucker • A Better Dystopia |
| Extended Plays | Monster Magnet • Tab • Superjudge / She Digs That Hole • Dopes |
| Demo Albums and Remix Albums | Forget About Life, I'm High On Dope • We're Stoned, What Are You Going To Do About It? • The TAB Remix • Milking the Stars: A Re-Imagining Of Last Patrol • Cobras and Fire: The Mastermind Redux |
| Associated Bands, Artists, Etc. | The Atomic Bitchwax • Gallery of Mites • Black Nasa • Daisycutter • Shrapnel • The Desert Sessions • Love Monster • The Ultra Electric Mega Galactic • Godspeed • Riotgod • The Ribeye Brothers • A Thousand Knives of Fire • Queens of the Stone Age • Raging Slab • Dirty Bird • Jakalope • Love Among Freaks • Dog of Mystery • Pinque Phloyd • Acid Reich • The Wellwater Conspiracy • 9 Chambers • Human Remains |