Formed in a Bremen, Germany practice space in 1996,
Trashmonkeys have been tearing up Europe and beyond almost since the get go. By January 1997, the group were already on-stage, and after a series of memorable opening slots were swiftly promoted to headliners. Their eponymous debut album arrived the next year, with
Clubtown following in 2002, by which time the trio had expanded to a quartet with the enlistment of a keyboardist/guitarist. But it was 2004's
The Maker that sent the
Trashmonkeys' fortunes skyrocketing. "Sundays" spun off the set, not only garnered the group a Single of the Week nod from British music paper the New Musical Express, but was utilized as the theme music for the Italian Le Iene television show.
The Maker was one fabulous album, but it's surpassed by the even more sensational
Favourite Enemy. In the intervening two years, the quartet have honed their musical skills and their songwriting. Although still high energy, the set is less crash, wallop, bang than its predecessor, even containing a couple of ballads, the big rock styled "Outside" and the moodier "Silver Sun," while "Attitudes in Stereo" buffets into the gloom and doom of atmospheric goth rock.
"You'll Never Have a Hold on Me" rounds on the grandiose territory of
U2, but that's the exception to the band's more adrenalin laced rule. "Take It or Leave It" is pure, pummeling punk rock, while the title track is a slamming anthemic punk rocker with a
Buzzcocks edge. "Around the World" drives straight into garage land, their assaultive cover of the
Violent Femmes' "Gone Daddy Gone" is reminiscent of
the Stooges, as is the equally combative "Can't Take It No More." The wildly popular "Song No. 1" returns with a cool new remix. Add some nods to Brit-pop along the way, a truck-load of hooks, and an entire set's worth of memorable melodies, and
Trashmonkeys have created an instant classic. [The CD was also released with bonus tracks.] ~ Jo-Ann Greene