Monstre

Philippe Lambert of Montreal has created at least one CD under the band name of Monstre, French for "monster." He should not be confused with an ensemble from the French village of Brest that also calls itself Monstre, all part of an international pileup of monstrous references in rock & roll that threaten to overshadow any other cultural context, as good monsters should. Lambert's project, unlike the French Monstre, seems to be a one-man venture. Both groups fiddle with electronics, perhaps a requirement if one is attempting to frighten a rock audience.

If it is a friendly monster that is being alluded to, then the instrumental reference of choice in this genre would have to be electric guitar, a comfort zone embraced by the Brest Monstre but apparently overlooked by Lambert, who instead makes use of primarily voice-based sounds. This material is electronically manipulated, combined with drum machine and sampler spices, and eventually polished into platters of sheer noise music, jams influenced by ethnic styles, psychedelic rock, and electronic pop. Lambert's influences include avant-garde Japanese rock groups such as the Boredoms. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi...

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