Label: Superior
Reissued 5/28/13, originally released 1981
An errant project of suburban Los Angeles art collective World Imitation Productions, MONITOR was the sonic outlet of four young artists grappling with their terror and amazement in the convergence of the late 1970s punk scene and Southern California’s consumerist decadence. As with the collective’s visual artwork and events, MONITOR blends archaic influences with modern technology into one of the era’s most curious albums. Eerie synthesizer, menacing guitar leads and morose vocal chants make “In Terrae Interium” an evocative ballad of paranoia.