''Forgery'' is an album by the American
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
band
Monks of Doom
The Monks of Doom is an American alternative rock band, formed in California in 1986. The band's music draws from post-punk, progressive rock, indie rock, psychedelic and folk rock traditions.[Camper Van Beethoven
Camper Van Beethoven is an American rock band formed in Redlands, California in 1983, later based in Santa Cruz and San Francisco. Their style mixes elements of pop, ska, punk rock, folk, alternative country, and world music. The band init ...]
.
[
]
Production
A loose concept album about fabrication and deception, ''Forgery'' was produced by Dan Fredman.Astor Piazzolla
Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (, ; March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed ''nuevo tango'', incorporating elements from ...
.[
]
Critical reception
''Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...
'' wrote that "it’s a tight and cleanly played record but, as with the Monks’ entire oeuvre, the literate songs and sounds come too often from the head and too rarely from the heart."Guitar Player
''Guitar Player'' is an American popular magazine for guitarists, founded in 1967 in San Jose, California. It contains articles, interviews, reviews and lessons of an eclectic collection of artists, genres and products. It has been in print si ...
'' deemed the album "modern psychedelia for the smart drug generation."The Province
''The Province'' is a daily newspaper published in tabloid format in British Columbia by Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, alongside the ''Vancouver Sun'' broadsheet newspaper. Together, they are British Columbia's only ...
'' considered the album's songs to be "projections of a modern, unfussy but subtly complex expression of progressive-rock." The ''Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'' concluded that ''Forgery'' "is something indulgent and bloodless, with bassist Victor Krummenacher delivering crypto-important metaphors that fail to touch any nerves."[
'']Stereo Review
''Sound & Vision'' is an American magazine, purchased by AVTech Media Ltd. (UK) in March 2018, covering home theater, audio, video and multimedia consumer products. Before 2000, it had been published for most of its history as ''Stereo Review''. ...
'' called it "pretentious undergrad rock reminiscent of Camper at its most terminally twee." ''The Milwaukee Journal
The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently o ...
'' praised the album's first track, "Flint Jack", describing it as "a ska beat rumbling in slow motion under some spry, acrobatic guitar sprints." The ''Philadelphia Daily News
''Philadelphia Daily News'' is a tabloid newspaper that serves Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper is owned by The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC, which also owns Philadelphia's other major newspaper ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''.
The ''Dail ...
'' declared that "''Forgery'' is one pop product that dares to be art and actually succeeds." The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a major regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the ''Belleville News-Dem ...
'' stated that Monks of Doom have "once again abandoned standard rock decorum to explore new music worlds via thrashing guitar leads, primitive synthesizers and acoustic guitars, and rippling syncopations."AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
wrote that it combines "the quirky, off-kilter elements of Camper with a more streamlined, straightforward rocking approach."
Track listing
Personnel
*David Immerglück
David A. Immerglück (born May 3, 1961)''U.S. Public Records Index'' Vol 1 & 2 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2010. is an American multi-instrumentalist who is best known as a guitarist in the alternative rock bands Counting Crows, ...
- guitars, backing vocals, organ, synthesizer, mandolin
*Greg Lisher
Greg Lisher (born 29 November 1963) is the lead guitar player for Camper Van Beethoven. He is also one of the founding members of the Camper Van Beethoven spin-off Indy prog rock group Monks of Doom.
He has also released three solo records. Hi ...
- guitar, backing vocals, piano
* Victor Krummenacher - bass, lead vocals, organ, piano, guitar
* Chris Pedersen - drums, percussion, typewriter
References
{{reflist
1992 albums
I.R.S. Records albums
Monks of Doom albums