Song of the Day: “Crashbox” by Monkey House
The proverbial “yacht” is still sailing!
Monkey House, led by Don Breithaupt, have delivered another album, Crashbox, that is so immaculately crafted it practically comes with a pair of linen gloves so as to not smear its pristine presentation while unboxing. This is “Westcoast AOR” or “Jazz-Pop” at its most sophisticated—music so smooth and precisely arranged that it makes other bands sound like they’re playing with oven mitts on.
If you’ve ever wished Steely Dan were still carrying on but, well, slightly less cynical, this is your jam. Every bass line grooves with a knowing, understated funk, every horn chart, impeccably tailored, and every chord progression sounds like it earned a doctorate in music theory. It’s the earmark of a long-standing collaboration of four elite Canadian musicians that have discovered that perfect balance of complexity vs. melody that many groups strive for and few actually achieve.
The comparison to Steely Dan is inevitable, necessary, and entirely by design (and I also hear a lot of Toto in there too, especially with Mark Kelso effortlessly pulling off those Jeff Porcaro-esque shuffles). Monkey House exists perfectly in the Venn diagram intersection of those two colossal 70s/80s Westcoast groups.
The album glides by like a vintage European sports car on a perfect, cloudless day. Breithaupt’s lyrics are witty without trying too hard, addressing modern anxieties (“Crashbox”) and life’s pleasant inertia (“Sundaying”) with a light, self-aware touch. In a world of alt-rock screamers and auto-tuned pop maximalism, Monkey House offers a refuge of adult-contemporary excellence. This is dinner party music you play when you want to impress guests who know the difference between a major seventh and a minor nine, but don’t want to be shouted at.
The title track, “Crashbox,” is the album’s centerpiece—it’s the one that grabs you by the knit tie and elbow patches, and gives you a good, clean shake. The tune delivers a surprisingly biting and contemporary lyrical theme. Breithaupt sings about the feeling of being over-stimulated and trapped in the modern digital age—our minds, our “crashboxes,” overloaded and struggling to process the endless feed of information (”You can’t go left, you can’t go right, it’s a gridlock of pure delight“). The driving rhythm section—tight, punchy, and relentless—pushes the song forward, keeping the listener engaged. It’s the highest expression of the band’s core philosophy: slick sound, smart lyrics, and an infectious groove that hooks you instantly.
The Song
Spotify:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/song/crashbox/1805682642
The Album
Spotify:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/crashbox/1805682448