BACK TO MAIN
By Jeremy Gladstone - Kludge Magazine
What exactly happens when your work ethic is unmatched, your music is consistently infectious, and your crew has grown in size by 100%? Simple. You get all your demons out and release Monsters In The Closet.
Perhaps that scenario only applies to the Swollen Members, who maintain that Monsters In The Closet should be considered their third album, but “in between” their last critically acclaimed album Bad Dreams and what will surely be their next one. Don’t be fooled by their own understatement; this B-side album from Swollen Members features nothing but A-material.
This compilation starts off on a quick pace; “Steppin’ Through” has the raw energy of a Swollen concert packed into the lead off track. The theatrics on Monsters escalate from there, this band is bent on the number one spot for rap music. Intelligent lyrics and steady grooves line the album wall to wall in tracks like “The Capitol,” and “Members Only.” On a more personal level, the Members break it down hard on “Act On It,” depicting what has been a hard climb up for the band who continues to rise higher.
How big are the Swollen Members? They’ve added some talent to a line-up that seemed without room. Moka Only adds smooth as ice rap stylings, and Rob the Viking brought a seemingly un-empty stack of beats to the Monsters recording session. Those two now make up exactly one half of the Members to date, with the founders Prevail and Mad Child still at the helm, determined to pull their band to the top should they ever find they have to. They rap masterfully and thoughtfully over every track they’ve put themselves on, and this new album is certainly no exception. The new members now round out this rap family, and add depth to chorus and overall harmony needs. They were a necessary addition to the members foray, given that they had guest-starred on many previous tracks.
As if growing in size wouldn’t account for an already over-full album, the Members lined up their most quality Canadian all-stars to provide an even greater depth to their work. The album incorporates two giant Canadian female artists, Nelly Furtado and Sarah Mclachlan. Nelly makes her presence known with a well-written part in the third song “Breath,” charged with a creative bass and drum beat, Furtado delivers sweet vocals that could only help Swollen Members cross over into the mainstream. McLachlan offers a sample of an old song, Ice Cream, titled “Long Way Down” on Monsters, giving the dark element of Swollen Members that could be trademarked.
Consistency. To the direct point, the Swollen Members have a viable third album in Monsters In The Closet whether they like it or not. It works intelligently, creatively and smooth all album long without letting up. Armed with four members total, the real Monsters In The Closet seem to actually be the Swollen Members just waiting to bust out.
September 24, 2002 [Kludge Magazine]