by Brian LeTendre
I came to know about The Reigning Monarchs through the Walking the Room podcast. comedian Greg Behrendt is the guitar player of the surf/ska/punk band that he co-founded with Michael Eisenstein (Letters to Cleo) back in 2007. A little while back, the group released their long-awaited second full album, Black Sweater Massacre.
The album is comprised of twelve instrumentals that range from mellow rockabilly to traditional surf to what I would describe as punk swing. They’re a hard band to characterize, which is one of the things I love about the Reigning Monarchs--there’s just nothing else out there like them.
Behrendt and Eisenstein's guitars drive the band's sound, and they’re accompanied by some stellar horns. The bass and drums are the only forces keeping the songs on the rails at points, which gives the whole album the feel of a roller coaster ride.
Black Sweater Massacre is a blast of a record that you’ll find yourself revisiting again and again. It’s been one of my writing soundtracks since I picked it up, and it makes for a fine workout soundtrack as well.
You can grab Black Sweater Massacre for $7, and it’s well worth the money. You can check out a video promo for the album below that will give you a taste of the band's sound.
I came to know about The Reigning Monarchs through the Walking the Room podcast. comedian Greg Behrendt is the guitar player of the surf/ska/punk band that he co-founded with Michael Eisenstein (Letters to Cleo) back in 2007. A little while back, the group released their long-awaited second full album, Black Sweater Massacre.
The album is comprised of twelve instrumentals that range from mellow rockabilly to traditional surf to what I would describe as punk swing. They’re a hard band to characterize, which is one of the things I love about the Reigning Monarchs--there’s just nothing else out there like them.
Behrendt and Eisenstein's guitars drive the band's sound, and they’re accompanied by some stellar horns. The bass and drums are the only forces keeping the songs on the rails at points, which gives the whole album the feel of a roller coaster ride.
Black Sweater Massacre is a blast of a record that you’ll find yourself revisiting again and again. It’s been one of my writing soundtracks since I picked it up, and it makes for a fine workout soundtrack as well.
You can grab Black Sweater Massacre for $7, and it’s well worth the money. You can check out a video promo for the album below that will give you a taste of the band's sound.
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