release date: Mar. 20, 1996
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]
producer: Ian Caple, Sort Sol
label: Columbia Records - nationality: Denmark
Track highlights: 2. "Sharks Capital" - 3. "My Stars" - 4. "Anything That Moves" - 6. "Sol 66" - 10. "Erlkönig"
7th studio album by Sort Sol and the first after guitarist Peter Peter left the band. The album is released nearly 3½ years after the band's best-selling album Glamourpuss from 1993 and it seems the intentions to see if they can carry their national and Scandinavian success onto an international scale with British producer Ian Caple by their side. Undoubtedly, Caple has helped shaping a more international sound and stylistically, this is a move away from their two previous albums into more complex arrangements of alt. rock.
Unspoiled Monsters sounds much like a clone of U2, R.E.M. and former Sort Sol with much focus on form, which makes it hard to imagine the album without the sound of U2's Achtung Baby (1991).
I find it a surprising change of sound and it's an album almost without any really great tracks, and as I recall, the general verdict was rather hard on a band that many had buried after founding member and guitarist of the band, Peter Peter was now gone. It's not entirely bad as it has it's moments but it failed to attract the international interest it was directed for. Once again, you may add, this left Sort Sol in a vacuum without or in search of a successful original style.
After this, the band took a break from the spotlight and put the band on a halt, where several of the band members pursued individual projects. E.g. primary songwriter, bassist Knus Odde turned to concentrate on his personal interest in painting - the cover (a painting titled 'The Black Plague', '95) is by Karen Kilimnik, who seems as a clear inspirational source to Odde (works by Odde). Vocalist Steen Jørgensen released the acclaimed trip hop alt. rock album Ginman / Jørgensen together with bassist Lennart Ginman in 1998.
Together with the succesor, Unspoiled Monsters is one of the band's two least favourable albums.
Not recommended.
