Le Monnier – “Russian Doll Life” (2011)
Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
Following on the heels of their excellent debut, “Cynic Sister”, the powerhouse U.K. trio Le Monnier returns with their sophomore effort, “Russian Doll Life”. I have no idea what the title means either, but I can say that the second Le Monnier album is as potent, infectious and like-able as their first. “Russian Doll Life” comes out of the gate fast and furious with opener “The Beginning”. The riffs come in waves and the unique vocals of Alex Le Monnier lead the way. Next up is the first single “Con Amor Siempre”. This song slows the tempo down a bit, but not the quality as this was an excellent choice for the first single. The infectious “On That Road Again” is next and features a chorus that is so damn catchy that you couldn’t get it out of your head if you tried. This song is definitely among my favorites. Also one of my favorites is the sensitive ballad “Say Who You Are”. Aside from her huge, goose bump inducing vocals, Alex also proves what a talented lyricist she is. This is definitely something that comes from the heart. Other highlights include: “Home”, “Haunt Me”, “Fall Away” and the awesome “Mediocre Me”. There is something wonderfully retro about Le Monnier. They seem to be influenced by 70s hard rock, while still managing to sound important and relevant in 2011/12. For fans who liked their debut effort, “Russian Doll Life” from Le Monnier should absolutely satisfy your hunger for good, strong melodic rock with memorable hooks and songs. Alex and crew deliver just that and more. This is one band to watch in 2012.
Rating – 90/100
Tracklist
- Con Amor Siempre
- On That Road Again
- Home
- Haunt Me
- Fall Away
- Hidden Faces
- Say Who You Are
- Seek and You’ll Find
- The Moth
- Mediocre Me
- ‘Till the Dreams Come True
Line Up
- Alexandra Le Monnier – Vocals & Bass
- Matt Keil – Guitars & Piano
- Josh Williams – Drums & Percussion
Links
Le Monnier – “Con Amor Siempre” SINGLE (2011)
Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
After their impressive debut, “Cynic Sister” which was released in 2009, the U.K. based power rock trio Le Monnier will finally return with their sophomore outing in September called “Russian Doll Life”. Until then the band has released a new single called “Con Amor Siempre” as a precursor to their newest release. “Con Amor Siempre” starts off rather quietly before quickly evolving into a fantastic guitar dominated heavy rock track. Vocalist Alexandra Le Monnier has certainly done an excellent job with her vocals, and musically the band is simply on fire. Although, “Con Amor Siempre” lasts only about 3 ½ minutes, it certainly gets the job done in building anticipation for “Russian Doll Life”. “Con Amor Siempre” is a hard hitting, exercise in heavy rock that bodes quite well for their impending second release. Ordering info can be obtained through the official Le Monnier web site. Support this band, they deserve it!
Rating – 90/100
Tracklist
- Con Amor Siempre
Line Up
- Alexandra Le Monnier – Vocals, Bass
- Matt Keil – Guitars, Piano
- Josh Williams – Drums
Links
Le Monnier – “Cynic Sister” (2009)
Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
Sometimes it is a refreshing change of pace to hear a new, young band get back to basics and play just good, no frills hard rock. Such is the case with the U.K. based band Le Monnier. The band is fronted by the soulful vocals of Alexandra Le Monnier and with their debut “Cynic Sister”, the band deliver almost 1-hour’s worth of heavy power rock that features some seriously crunchy guitar riffs, catchy melodies and some cool musical moments and worthwhile ballads. The band’s sound is somewhat reminiscent of good hard rock bands from the past, while still sounding current and relevant in today’s musical climate. There is plenty of good music to sift through on “Cynic Sister” – beginning with the orchestral intro of the opener “Grey Symphonic”. Don’t get too relaxed however as this quickly gives way to the flat-out up-tempo rocker “Your Greed” and it really sets things in motion nicely. The following two songs show off the diversity of the band. “No Power” has a lot of power compressed in about 2 and-a-half-minutes and “Ballet” begins with a pretty piano opening but quickly evolves into ‘power ballad’ territory. My two personal favorites on “Cynic Sister” and what I believe to be the albums strongest moments come back-to-back with the 8-minute “Bad Dream” and “Underground”. These two songs are sure be crowd pleasers in Le Monnier‘s live shows. Another aspect of the band that I was really impressed with, was the live, energetic feel that each and every song displays – you can’t help but feel the energy and power emanating from the speakers. Other highlights include: “Black Dot” (the band has filmed a video for this track – a solid choice, in my opinion), the pretty ballad “My Heart” and the title song “Cynic Sister” that brings this CD to a close. Personally, I find Le Monnier to be an instantly like-able band and the music on “Cynic Sister” has the ability to make some huge headway in the Rock/Metal world. The songs are well written, beautifully constructed and very diverse and can reach out to different genres of music fans. If you like good Hard Rock music, with plenty of powerful musicianship, diverse songs and strong vocals than by all means give “Cynic Sister” by Le Monnier a listen – you won’t be disappointed.
Rating – 85/100
Tracklist
- Grey Symphonic
- Your Greed
- No Power
- Ballet
- Save Yourself
- Kingyo
- Drawing the Line
- Black Dot
- My Heart
- Anxiety
- Bad Dream
- Underground
- Pink Filter
- Cynic Sister
Line Up
- Alexandra Le Monnier – Vocals & Bass
- Matt Keil – Guitar & Piano
- Terry Anderson – Drums
Links
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