Monsters in the Closet [Instrumentals] by Swollen Members (CD, Apr-2003, Battle Axe Records (USA))

Album Features
UPC:	800867101526
Artist:	Swollen Members
Format:	CD
Release Year:	2003
Record Label:	Battle Axe Records (USA)
Genre:	R&B, Underground/Alt Rap

Track Listing
1. Steppin Thru
2. Breath
3. Fuel Injected - (Remix, remix)
4. Battle Axe Exclusive
5. Heavy Thinkers
6. Red Dragon
7. Bring It Home
8. Zenith
9. Members Only
10. Act on It
11. Long Way Down
12. Temptation
13. Crunch
14. Northern Lights - (featuring Iriscience)
15. Freak Fantastic
16. New Details

Details
Contributing Artists:	Nelly Furtado, Saukrates, Iriscience
Distributor:	Caroline Distribution
Recording Type:	Studio
Recording Mode:	Stereo
SPAR Code:	n/a

Album Notes
Swollen Members includes: Mad Child, Prevail (rap vocals).Additional personnel includes: Nelly Furtado (vocals); Saukrates (rap vocals).Producers include: Evidence, Joey Chavez, DJ Vadim, Paul Nice, Saukrates.Recorded at Hipposonic Studios, Vancouver, Canada. Includes liner notes by Mad Child.Producers include: Evidence, Joey Chavez, DJ Vadim, Paul Nice, Saukrates.Audio Mixer: Roger Swan.Recording information: Hipposonic Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.This trawl through the vaults of the Vancouver-based hip-hop collective Swollen Members is unusual for a collection of B-sides and leftovers -- in that it ends up being more forward- than backward-looking. That's because the underground stalwarts -- Mad Child and Prevail, plus recent addition Moka Only -- decided to record a few new songs to fill out the disc, which ends up pointing the way to possible commercial successes previously undreamed of. "Breath," with its hook from Nelly Furtado and a juicy R&B foundation, could slot comfortably between the latest Murder Inc. and P. Diddy hits on a mix tape, while the manic "Battle Axe Exclusive" rages along in true Eminem fashion. Such moments won't necessarily be a pleasant surprise for the Members' devoted fanbase, but the remainder of Monsters in the Closet provides a generous helping of the less-conventional musical ambition that has won the group comparisons to Jurassic 5, Dilated Peoples, and other old-school revivalists. There's one true gem -- "Long Way Down," a sensitive love song that samples Sarah McLachlan's "Ice Cream" -- and many outtakes of better-than-average quality; though they aren't all monsters, they certainly deserve to come out of hiding. ~ Dan LeRoy