Published on Oct 5, 2000
More often than not, you can find major-label quality talent on
labels you’ve probably never heard of. Count Munkafust among those
bands whom you’re probably not familiar with… but if there’s a
God above, you will soon.
Veterans of the indie-rock scene, their latest disc
Down For Days is a solid effort showing off this band’s good
chops and songwriting – only to fumble the ball at the end zone.
But more on that in a moment.
The band – vocalist/guitarist Evan Brau, guitarist Tony Gray,
bassist/vocalist Jens Funke and drummer Matt Rimer – seems to be a
cross between light reggae (a la The Police) and the pop
sensability of the BoDeans. They’re a group who show that not only
are they having fun with the music, but they’re not above poking
fun at their own fate. (The cover art illustrates the fire which
gutted their tour van… but left the band uninjured.)
The first time I ever heard Munkafust’s music, I had been
listening to a different disc, and the automatic changer went to
Down For Days, the next disc in line. Within the first 30
seconds of the opening track “Control Of My Heart,” I had stopped
dead in my tracks, and found myself wondering who these guys were,
and why I hadn’t dug this disc out of the “To Be Reviewed” pile
sooner.
“Control Of My Heart” is just a hint of things to come on
Down For Days, as Munkafust absolutely shines throughout
most of this album. When you hear songs like “Feel My Pulse,” “Gave
It A Try” and the title track, you can’t help but wonder why these
guys have languished in semi-obscurity while so many other bands
with less than half the talent top the charts. Even when the band
shows a sly sense of humor (as they do on “Yeah Yo” and “Bank
Account”), they make things sound like this was all part of the big
plan.
But when you get to the final two tracks of this disc, that’s
when the bottom drops out. After eight songs with some real
substance to them, Munkafust regresses into songs about
relationships from hell (“Psycho,” with a reference of… well,
having a little taken off the tip) and being stuck in a party with
no women (“Helmet Party”, with a sample line: “Sausage to my left,
and sausage to my right”). These songs do nothing more than remind
the listener that Munkafust was first a party band, and they seem
to be having problems separating from their roots. I have no
problem in general with songs like this, but coming off eight
semi-serious tracks, these are anti-climactic.
It’s a shame that Munkafust makes such a mistake to close
Down For Days, as the bulk of this album is absolutely
phenomenal. These guys have obviously spent lots of time in the
trenches working on their craft, and musically, the end result is
pleasantly obvious. If they re-focus their attention a little bit
more, there’s an excellent chance that you’ll be hearing Munkafust
making a big noise very soon.