Montener the Menace is “The Miserable Git Next Door” (Album Review)
Montener the Menace is an MC from London, England who I first caught wind of him during the COVID-19 pandemic when he released his full-length debut I Have a Hidden Hobby. Even though overloaded with features & the instrumentals sorta sounded similar to one another, dude definitely proved himself lyrically & the sophomore effort he followed it up with a year & a half ago Anyone Home?. But as 2022 draws to a close, Montener is looking to return in the form of his 3rd album
The title track kicks off the album with an orchestral boom bap instrumental cautioning how miserable of a person that he considers himself to be whereas “Tomorrow’s Never Promised” with A-F-R-O & Skyzoo works in a crooning vocal sample talking about how life is short. “Gunslinger” however comes through with a western-tinged sequel to “High Noon” off Anyone Home? just before “Sliding Doors” returns to a more symphonic-based sound vividly telling the story of someone whose mother always referred to as her greatest mistake.
However with “Decisions”, we have Guilty Simpson as well as REKS & Skinnyman joining Montener in lavish boom bap anthem about the choices you make in general leading into “Hate to Love” has a more rawer approach instrumentally discussing what hate & love mean to him. “Teachered Artist” laces some dusty drums & trumpets confessing that his mission is to teach, but then Verbz comes into the picture for the keyboard/string-laced “Juxtaposition” produced by Domingo talking about crooked cops.
“Movie Decade Crusader” is a soulful dedication for all the film buffs out there while the song “Running My Mouth” is a triumphant boom bap ballad talking his shit whenever he happens to pull up in town. The penultimate track “About Love” comes through with a 6 crazy & a half minute UK hip hop posse cut featuring 14 other MCs all showing their own distinct flavors prior the the outro truly ends the album returning to the boom bap with a plucky loop advising to leave him alone unless you wanna go to war.
Anyone Home? showed some significant improvements over I Have a Hidden Hobby & The Miserable Git Next Door continues to do that in an impressive fashion 17 months later. The production on the album was a tad bit superior, but I admire that the overabundance of features are continuing to be toned down to a respectable volume as Montener continues to reveal himself as one of London’s most skilled underground MCs today.
Score: 7/10
