[Magnatune : we are not evil] [Free trial: only $15 per month] [login] [info]
The Town Monster: Sounds like synth pop walking down a dark alley.


If synth pop wandered into a dark alley and found itself viciously beaten by a gang of guitar distortion and layered rhythms, it might sound an awful lot like The Town Monster.

The band's 8-song release "New Life" had media citing influences as diverse as "Midnite Vultures" - era Beck to "Ministry at its most crushing." The resulting melange is propulsively agressive and unrelentingly groovy. Oh, and it's a two-piece that's making all that racket.

Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Nathan Photos rains down guitar riffs and shoots up synth lines with a vocal range that runs from black metal growl to Prince falsetto. Drummer Matt Grady's piercing beats add the right level of organic to the electronic, making this musical cyborg's eyes glow red.

The band has shared stages with appropriately diverse national acts including Weezer and Crystal Castles with radio airplay ranging from regular Top 5 play on local independent juggernaut CD102.5 in their hometown of Columbus, Ohio, to spins on L.A. modern rock staple KROQ.

The music all culminates in The Town Monster's crushing live show, an electro bath of sensory overload. It finds out what happens when noise becomes symphony.

  The Town Monster

[Ohio Sessions, April to June by The Town Monster]

Ohio Sessions, April to June


[Ohio Sessions, January to March by The Town Monster]

Ohio Sessions, January to March


[Ohio Sessions, July to September by The Town Monster]

Ohio Sessions, July to September


[Ohio Sessions, October to December by The Town Monster]

Ohio Sessions, October to December



The Town Monster lives in Ohio, USA.

Tagged as: Alt Rock, Folk-Rock, Prog Rock.


Recommended artists:
  1. Dead Leaf Echo: dreamy shoe-gazing pop
  2. Merry Ellen Kirk: Pretty pop that sounds like jewel-tone colors
  3. Father of Sam: rock, alternative rock, indie rock, psych rock
  4. Beight: highly listenable indie pop gems
  5. Andre Rodriguez: melodic rock combining memorable melodies with thoughtful storytelling
  6. Monte Casino: where modern rock meets classic rock
  7. in giro: defiantly homemade pop rock music
  8. Norine Braun: jazzed up, funk-tinged eclectic pop.
  9. Fresh Body Shop: modern alt-rock with a bluesy folk touch
  10. One Sock Thief: Unique and melodic, piano-based rock
  11. Boulevard: Up-beat rock and new wave for the 21st century
  12. Heifervescent: Shimmering indie guitar pop with orchestral moments
  13. Where's Moo: moody, atmospheric, paranoid and definitely not typical rock and roll
  14. Emma Wallace: angst-free modern ragtime
  15. Horstreich: noisy, friendly, fierce and beautiful, rock and roll
  16. Sound of Seventy Three: expansive guitar-driven post-rock with trip-hop tinged remixes
  17. FUR: melodic fury meets post-punk, shoegaze, alternative
  18. Broken Poets: indie rock when lyrics were king
  19. Icicle: He Who Sings Thinks No Evil
  20. Castle Pines: easy-to-listen-to pop rock with a fresh attitude