Interscope Records
2003
8 Bit Monk
About This Album
For the full-length 8 Bit Monk, L.A.'s Woven ups the groove and removes much of the subtlety it displayed on Eprime, its brief 2001 debut. While that recording often resembled a weirdly cool collaboration between the Deftones and Aphex Twin's more ambient side, this latest effort relies too much on convention, and ends up stifling the energy created by its dynamic six-person lineup. The group features a full complement of synths and electronic devices, but also utilizes traditional instrumentation like guitars, bass, and drums. None of the instrumentation -- analog or digital -- is ever safe from Woven's quest for reinvention. But while the songcraft is strong throughout 8 Bit Monk, that becomes part of the problem -- a collective such as this might do well to lock traditional song structure in the same closet it does the concept of a conventional rock band lineup. Maybe it's pressure from the label, or a nod to the mainstream, but 8 Bit Monk tends to meander in Woven's self-created safe zone between electronic and alt.rock, instead of making something happen there. It builds the foundation for a wonderful structure, but falls asleep at the job site. This is disappointing, because there's a lot to like in the sonic tapestry that is Woven. Scattering, processed percussion mixes with plucked acoustic guitar on "Trepanation," and a glowering bassline and grating electric guitar imbue "I Want You Yesterday" with anxious tension. But while Jonathan Burkes' vocal cords are certainly malleable, shifting effortlessly from pleading urgency to harder-edged intensity, over ten songs he becomes Woven's most apparent link to what's been done, and dilute its potential to make something truly new. [This limited edition version of 8 Bit Monk includes the bonus track "Who Knows."] ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
Track List (try tracks 1,4,6 and 9)

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