Monsterland
Insulation 7''
Seed
1993
Rating: 6.5 offensive clippers out of 10
Despite having been featured on a split with my beloved Archers of Loaf, I never paid much attention to Monsterland during their active years. I probably should have, as I quite like both tracks here. The title track has an early Soul Asylum/Husker Du vibe, and I'm really feeling it. The b-side is a cover of the Fall's "Totally Wired," which is kinda weird but I give them a thumbs up for giving it a shot. It's sorta odd the Fall doesn't get covered more often.
Archers of Loaf / Monsterland
Inside Dave's Garage - Volume 3
Radiopaque
1994
Rating: 7 sensitive tinklings out of 10
Archers of Loaf have side A on this split, recorded for and/or at some DC public radio station. They play a weird, shimmery version of "Telepathic Traffic" where the volume of the guitar seems to vacillate from one speaker to the next for large chunks of the song. I thought something was wrong the first time I heard it. The B side is Monsterland, a band I never knew anything about but this song is...fine. Typical indie rock of the era.
