[.ca] Monsters In The Closet

Amazon.ca:
Vancouver's Swollen Members are at the forefront of hip-hop's new world order and anyone who doubts it need only consult Monsters in the Closet. Though an odds-and-sods collection with a few new songs, Monsters still sports the kind of guest list worthy of a velvet rope and shifty guys with thick necks. Nelly Furtado, Saukrates, Moka Only, DJ Vadim and, via sample, Sarah McLachlan(!) join Prevail and Mad Child as the pair mash up inky, insistent beats with conscious rhymes and an after-dark menace that seems to seep into the skin. Some moments here are staggering--Prevail's throwdown in "Rockapella" for instance, finds the MC grocery-listing contemporary artists from Crash Test Dummies to Rage Against the Machine, Nice Inch Nails, Grapes of Wrath, 10,000 Maniacs, and Cowboy Junkies among dozens of others, improbably interconnecting their names to make a coherent statement. Furtado sounds positively heavyweight on "Breath" backed by the Members crew at full tilt, while the vaguely cartoonish and obscenely catchy "Bring It Home" is already a classic on par with Len's "Steal My Sunshine," only waaay funkier. --Kim Hughes

Terrible.:
I remember waiting months on end for the release of this album. The day it was released, I bought it. Took it home. Put it in my CD player, and it was horrible right from the start.

Swollen Members- Monsters in the Closet:
Swollen Members (Prevail, Mad Child, Moka Only, Rob the Viking) third album "Monsters in the Closet" (2002) is decent. To be honest I have never really been big into there music, maybe its because of the wide variety of Hip Hop I listen to, and the fact that for the most part I dont find there music very gripping or entertaining so when I hear people giving there albums rave reviews I wonder if its just hometown pride, or the fact that they have a select group of loyal fans from all over the world. "Steppin Thru" starts the album off, and is followed up by the decent B.C. Rap/R & B collabo of "Breath" feat. Nelly Furtado. TO MC Saukrates drops in for the "Fuel Injected" (Remix). First real standout for me is "Heavy Thinkers", like the beat and scratching to this track, and Swollen Members love for there trade is genuine. Swollen Members newest member Moka Only drops a nice chorus on the upbeat "Bring It Home". Mad Child and Prevail talk about their struggle to make it, and address life and death on "Act On It". A Sarah McLachlan sample is used on "Long Way Down", feeling Mad Child and Prevails lyrics on this cut. None of the remaining tracks after this one standout for me. I like a few tracks and some of the beats on "Monsters in the Closet".

Not the best swollen members album, but good:
This is a great album, but Bad Dreams is better They lost their touch, but it's different My favourite song is Freak Fantastic

Another Great Album by Vancouver's Own:
Mad Child and Prevail deliver a solid performance on the Swollen Members latest release from Battle Axe Records, Monsters in the Closet. As far as remix albums are concerned, this one is pretty damn tight. There's some really cool new takes on some of the tunes from Bad Dreams which make for a great listen, and should probably hold me over until their next LP. Appearances by Moka Only and fellow Vancouverite Nelly Furtado also add to the mix which makes for a pretty tasty musical gumbo. Overall, it's another solid outing from the Swollen Members.

A Good Album:
Swollen Members is better than most out there currently. Monsters in the Closet is a great album. I have three of their cd's and am planning on buying Balance soon. This isn't the best I heard but it is much better than the US mainstream.

• Intro
• Steppin Thru
• Breath (featuring Nelly Furtado)
• Fuel Injected (remix, featuring Saukrates)
• Battle Axe Exclusive
• Heavy Thinkers
• English Breakfast
• Red Dragon
• Bring It Home
• Zenith
• Members Only
• Act on It
• Long Way Down
• Temptation
• The Capitol
• Crunch
• Northern Lights
• Rockapella
• Freak Fantastic
• New Details