Line #51 Music/TheMonitor


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tam_6.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:You'll always be a loser.]]
3
4	''The Monitor'' is the second studio album by American PunkRock band Music/TitusAndronicus that was released on the 9th of March, 2010. As both the cover and the title allude to, ''The Monitor'' revolves around themes from the UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar and modern-day UsefulNotes/NewJersey. The album's release date, the 9th of March, is also the anniversary of the Battle of Hampton Roads, a naval battle between the USS ''Monitor'' and the CSS ''Virginia''. Along with this are references to Music/BillyBragg and Music/BruceSpringsteen, the latter also a New Jersey native who hated the place.
5
6	Featuring the band as well as an extensive list of guest musicians, ''The Monitor'' received rave reviews from critics for its lyricism and songwriting. It topped many lists for "Best Album of 2010", and is still widely praised to this day.
7	----
8	!!Tracklist:
9	# "A More Perfect Union" (7:09)
10	# "Titus Andronicus Forever" (1:55)
11	# "No Future Part Three: Escape From No Future" (5:16)
12	# "Richard II or Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds (Responsible Hate Anthem)" (5:06)
13	# "A Pot in Which to Piss" (8:53)
14	# "Four Score and Seven" (8:38)
15	# "Theme From 'Cheers'" (5:01)
16	# "To Old Friends and New" (7:00)
17	# "…And Ever" (2:24)
18	# "The Battle of Hampton Roads" (14:02)
19	----
20	!!Principle members:
21	[[AC:Titus Andronicus:]]
22	* Patrick Stickles – Guitar, harmonica, piano, synthesizer, tape operator, electronics, engineer, vocals
23	* Liam Betson - Guitar, vocals
24	* Ian Graetzer – Bass
25	* Eric Harm – Drums, percussion, vocals
26	[[AC:Additional musicians:]]
27	* Julian Veronesi – Vocals
28	* Dan [=McGee=] – Vocals
29	* Matt Miller – Vocals
30	* Brendan Stickles – Vocals
31	* Ryan Walsh – Vocals
32	* Andrew Cedermark – Guitar
33	* Pete Feigenbaum – Guitar
34	* Kevin [=McMahon=] – Guitar, mixing, percussion, producer, recording, vocals
35	* Ian O'Neil – Guitar, vocals
36	* Jenn Wasner – Guitar, vocals
37	* Dustin Wong – Guitar
38	* David Bentley – Cello
39	* Brett Bondar – Highland bagpipes, Scottish small pipes
40	* Peter Buettner – Tenor saxophone
41	* Elio [=DeLuca=] – Piano, organ, electric piano, engineer, vocals
42	* Ian Dykstra – Bass drums, sleigh bells, tambourine
43	* Greg Farley – Fiddle
44	* Dean Jones – Trombone
45	* Brian Rutledge – Trumpet
46	* Alex Tretiak – Snare drums, research assistant, vocals
47	* Andy Stack – Engineer
48	* Dustin Miller – Vocal recording
49	----
50	!!At the end of these tropes:
51	* UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar: One of the concepts behind this album.
52	* BrokenRecord: "You'll always be a loser" at the end of "No Future Part Three: Escape From No Future".
53	* ConceptAlbum: ''The Monitor'' uses the American Civil War as a metaphor for the struggles of a young man in modern New Jersey.
54	* DarkReprise: "...And Ever" serves as this for "Titus Andronicus Forever".
55	* DrivenToSuicide: "A Pot in Which to Piss":
56	-->''And I know it won't do much good''\
57	''Getting drunk and sad and singing''\
58	''But I'm at the end of my rope''\
59	''And I feel like swinging''
60	* EpicRocking: Almost the entirety of the album, but "The Battle of Hampton Roads" stands out at over 14 minutes.
61	* OdeToIntoxication: Both the sarcastic and non-sarcastic variety.
62	* PerishingAltRockVoice: If Conor Oberst had become a punk rocker, he would be Patrick Stickles.
63	* SpokenWordInMusic: The Monitor contains readings of speeches and writings by UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln and Creator/WaltWhitman, among others, performed by fellow indie rock artists such as Craig Finn of The Hold Steady and Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak.

Context Music / TheMonitor