The Monks of Doom's second effort, The Cosmodemonic Telegraph Company (a title only a Camper fan could love), is a pleasant surprise for two reasons: that the band released a second album at all and that it's actually pretty cool. Despite a vague outline entitled "Nomenclature of an Assassination Cabal" (which includes the efficacious invention of the word "conspirists"), you won't need your Kafka decoder ring for this one. Unlike their experimental debut, The Cosmodemonic Telegraph Company reveals a quartet that's willing to invest some of their better ideas in this band -- "Taste of Tendon," "All in Good Time," and "The Evidence You Hide" are catchy and quirky enough to qualify as Camper tracks. The album kicks off with a powerful instrumental, "Vaporize Your Crystals," that shows a marked improvement from their debut. A cover of Snakefinger's "The Vivian Girls" is a hoot, as the band clearly relishes this kind of hyperkinetic weirdness (their treatment of
Eugene Chadbourne's "Voodoo Vengeance" is another highlight, even warranting a tribal reprise later on). Not every song is an unqualified success: "Unexplained Murders" and "The Beach of Deception" would have felt at home on their first record, which isn't an indictment or an endorsement. "Broadcast at Midday" provides an engaging if understated ending, which shares some common ground with the sedated, warped pop of
Brian Eno -- particularly his Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy). The Cosmodemonic Telegraph Company is a better indication of what the Monks can do, and justifies the breaking of ranks to further their own brand of "rock meets
the Residents" music. ~ Dave Connolly