Thee More Shallows' 2006 EP
Monkey vs. Shark is more than merely a stop-gap between their two amazing albums 2005's
More Deep Cuts and 2007's
Book of Bad Breaks. Consisting of what could be outtakes from the
Cuts sessions, it also showcases a knack for oddball cover songs with its eyebrow-raising interpretation of
the Temptations' "I Can't Get Next to You" (which sounds more like singer/mainman
Dee Kesler can't even get out of bed) and oddball collaborations with the unlikely contribution of
Odd Nosdam's "Freshman Remix," based on "Freshman Thesis" from
Cuts (which sadly adds nothing to the original, but presages the decidedly non-rap
Shallows' incongruous move to indie hip-hop label Anticon for
Breaks). At only five proper songs plus the remix and an instrumental, it's as strong a release as any in the
Shallows' catalog, and well worth investigating.