San Francisco's Birdmonster jam during a video shoot for 'The Iditarod.' Greg Crane/ gregcranephoto.com

Birdmonster's folkier and more mature follow-up is still a perfect 10

Date published: 10/2/2008

BY KURT VINNEDGE

Birdmonster has done it again. The California-based band has released its sophomore album, "From the Mountain to the Sea," and, as expected, it is chock full of Birdmonster's signature energy--yet this time with more maturity.

The album is a good length, with 13 songs, ranging from about 2 minutes to almost four. "From the Mountain to the Sea" has a much more folky vibe than Birdmonster's earlier album, 2006's "No Midnight." Luckily, no energy is lost, and the band's blood-pumping sound still takes over for the mellow parts at just the right moments.

A smaller number of fast, loud songs also help create a refreshing listen.

Acoustic guitar begins many of the songs, then gives way to distortion for a musical crescendo in the last couple of seconds. The anticipation is part of the enjoyment.

Not only is the nature of the songs more mature than on the band's previous album, but the lyrics are, too. In "Born to Be Your Man," imagery and wordplay are used to create heartfelt scenes: "Sweet and low now how you cry/ I won't abide to dry your eyes/ I remember the way your uncle died/ And it haunts me in the night."

Frontman Peter Arcuni's vocals are instantly distinguishable from any other's. Arcuni adds to the music by either singing soft, somber melodies or shouting out with emotion, bringing the whole song's energy up a notch.

The band's twang is what makes the whole experience so refreshing. This isn't the Southern-style twang rampant in country songs; it is the twang of America. And that is the only way to explain it.

Guitar solos are present in almost every song, ranging from harmonious to adrenaline-pumping. Every instrument adds to the music in its own special way, as only Birdmonster can play it.

And so, the band has done it once again. As before, "a perfect 10 of 10" wouldn't suffice to explain the talent and effort put into this album.

As Arcuni says in "My Love for You": "All roads lead to heaven, or some death, they all do." And for Birdmonster, they lead to heaven.

Kurt Vinnedge is a junior at Stafford High School.

What: Birdmonster performs with ¡Carlos, I'm Pregnant! and Tereu Tereu at Fredericksburg All Ages' second anniversary show. Where: The Wounded Bookshop, 109 Amelia St. When: tomorrow, 7 to 9:30 p.m. Cost: $5--tickets are available on a limited basis. Info: 373-1311 Web: fredart.org

Date published: 10/2/2008