Monster Magnet will unveil their covers collection, A Better Dystopia, on May 21 through Napalm Records, and following on from posting their take on Poobah‘s “Mr. Destroyer” with the initial announcement of the record last month, Dave Wyndorf and company have a new lyric video up for the band’s version of the heavy ’70s mixtape staple “Learning to Die,” by Dust. Trivia-types might recall that Dust featured drummer Marc Bell, who grew up to be Marky Ramone, but the group’s two records, 1971’s Dust (discussed here) and 1972’s Hard Attack — which were issued together by Sony in 2013 (feature here) — are stone cold genre classics and should be treated as nothing less. As manic as “Learning to Die” is — and no less so in Monster Magnet‘s hands, certainly — there’s significant weight to it as well in theme and style.
I don’t think there’s time between now and the release, but honestly, if Monster Magnet or the team at Napalm wanted to just keep going and do a lyric video for every song on A Better Dystopia in the madcap look and iconography wash that is the album’s cover art, I wouldn’t argue. Put it all out later as a visual album livestream or something. Or, you know, not. This is why I’m not in marketing.
Anyway, killer song. Gonna go put on Hard Attack and groove out.
Enjoy the clip
Monster Magnet, “Learning to Die” (Dust cover) lyric video
Stoner Rock Shamans Monster Magnet Offer Their Take on Dust’s “Learning To Die”!
Pre-Order “A Better Dystopia” here: https://smarturl.it/ABetterDystopia?
Of the song selection, frontman Dave Wyndorf says: “‘Learning To Die’ blew me away when I was 15 and it still blows me away. Man, do I LOVE to sing this song. Dust was one of the greats.”
Napalm Records is pleased to present the next chapter in psychedelic rock icons MONSTER MAGNET’s rabbit hole deep dive, A Better Dystopia (out May 21, 2021): a delightfully (and psychotically) curated collection of 60’s and 70’s proto-metal and late-era psych obscurities covered by the heavy New Jersey legends themselves.
While the album marks a new frontier for MONSTER MAGNET as their first covers record, this is not your typical set of standards released to pass time. A Better Dystopia sees the band pay homage to some of their favorite songs of all time, while reflecting on the paranoia, dystopia and revolution of both now – and then.
MONSTER MAGNET is:
Dave Wyndorf – Vocals, Guitar
Phil Caivano – Guitar
Garret Sweeny – Guitar
Alec Morton – Bass
Bob Pantella – Drums
Monster Magnet, “Mr. Destroyer” (Poobah cover) lyric video
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