Tremulous Monk - Sweet Little Things

TremulousMonk (Chris Wilkinson) returns with a new collection of songs for his second album “Sweet Little Things”, a more soulful and simplistic sound than his debut “Sparkle Like Your Shoes” (2005). Since fronting English, psychedelic drone rockers, The Falling Spikes, the new Monk album is definitely tinged with their influence along with the usual suspects; The Velvets, Galaxie 500, Mark Mulcahy, Nick Drake and Spacemen 3.

 “Sweet Little Things” takes a leaf from the exploits of Kurt Ralske / Ultra Vivid Scene, whereby Monk guides the musical mother ship: writing, producing, engineering and performing the entire record. The opening track, “Tea Hippy?” is a country soul non-anthem for all the dope smoking kids in the park. Underneath a solid, warm, throbbing beat that all sounds like the Velvets playing country the vocals and slide guitar pumped through the heavy tremolo and reverb of Chris’ Fender Twin. Second track, ‘All of the Girls are Crumbling’, is a bitter sweet reminiscence of wasted youth whilst trying to resist the urge to preach to youth itself. It’s the only hint at a single in the whole album. From that point on you are taken on a soothing trip along the river bank of Monk’s hometown, York. Monk seems to have arrived from some far off planet, whispering colorfully soulful, seductive poetry to his immobilizing guitars leaving behind an album that exudes subtle ingenuity.  Title track “Sweet Little Things” has a feeling of Blue Moon to it, but with lyrical references to a less than sober, blossoming relationship “I found you, drunk in the city, spilling your heart, lost in your own pretty way”. However, the “Sweet Little Things” may refer to the birth of Monk’s first son, Herbie, who adds a few gurgles at the close of the track. “Purely accidental, I had just finished the vocal take and Herbie wandered in and I lifted him up to the mic.”

The album was recorded and mixed over about 10 months from September 2005 to June 2006 wherever Chris could find a clear space and a few hours, either in his kitchen, other Falling Spike Moz’s flat or his parents house. The result is again a low-fi garage sound at times with intimate whispering vocals often without any effects or studio tinkering. Like its predecessor, within “Sweet Little Things” angels and devils do battle in Monk’s imagination, stacking the record full of fantastic tales.

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