The Monorchid: Who Put Out The Fire?

Either vocalist Chris Thompson has just enough patience with a band to release two albums before having it disintegrate, or he has a tendency to drive his bandmates away after two albums. It happened to Ignition, it happened to the amazing Circus Lupus, and now it's happened to the equally amazing Monorchid. Who Put Out The Fire is The Monorchid's swan song, released a full nine months after the band officially broke up. Although its short running time (25 minutes) feels like a cheat, the album crackles with energy and catharsis. With scratchy Gang Of Four guitars and Thompson's quasi-nasal Mark E. Smith tonality, The Monorchid conjures up its most memorable attributes from the best post-punk music. It also carries with it the DC/Dischord background of the members' past bands. Thompson's acerbic vocals are full of bile and negative emotions, and whatever the subject—heartache, tortured confusion, or undefined political anger—he delivers them with incomparable passion and intensity. The choppy guitar riffs and aggressive drive of the band (which includes fellow Circus Lupus alum Chris Hamley) accentuate Thompson's voice perfectly, matching his quirkiness and energy note for note. Who Put Out The Fire is a great album, and a great tombstone for The Monorchid. All that's left to do now is to wait another three years to see what Thompson does next.