Ryan Monroe – A Painting of a Painting on Fire
RCM Records
-out now
2.5 / 5
We’ve got a few criteria for how we rate albums here – gut reaction, technical prowess, memory. Ultimately, when you buy an album, you want one that you’ll play again and again, possibly find yourself humming a few tracks to yourself (hopefully not to your embarrassment). We were stoked to get Ryan Monroe’s debut solo album (of Band of Horses fame), but honestly, we haven’t spun this one up more than a few times over the same number of weeks. What gives? There’s one absolute blow-out track: “Any Way, Shape, Or Deformity,” which is 110% fantastic. Absolutely fun, fresh, groovy and phenomenal. But the other ten here, we can’t remember a single phrase from the bunch. Not one. Those songs are passable, as in you won’t severely disagree with your friend playing them in the car, but that’s certainly no way to buy an album. Get that one insanely stellar track, RIGHT NOW, but as for the rest, they aren’t worth the hard cash. Take a pass.