View Monster is Lemon Demon's 9th(?) album, released in 2008. I believe this to be his magnum opus, and a far superior work to his later album "Spirit Phone". The album is unique in that it has 16 tracks, but after each is an untitled track that Neil calls a "palatte cleanser". I will be including my ratings of these in the review based on pretty much how well they fit and serve their purpose. Also note that i have lumped them together with the song i associate them most to in order to break up the space. Neil has two seperate commentaries on the album which i would recommend reading if youre interested. I also recommend, as always, listening to this album before or while you read this review.

View Monster

Kaliedoskull

This track is an instrumental introduction to the album as well as a showcase of Neil's production prowess at the time. It evolves a simple melody over time culminating in a grand climax before settling back and closing off. 7.5/10

Untitled [view-monster]

As a palatte cleanser, it sets the tone for the next song. The melody is familiar but not captivating enough to distract from the tracks before or after it. It's also entitled [view-monster] and i see it as the main theme for the album. 9/10

Amnesia Was Her Name

I'm not really a fan of the instrumental of this track. The general vibe is just a bit too weird for me i guess. Anyways he does a pretty good job storytelling wise. For some reason this is one of the most popular on the album, but really i wouldn't listen to it more than once. I do admire the lyrical motifs he uses, getting more confused until after his surgery where he, while coherent, is without his love. poor lad. 7/10

Untitled [hippocampus]

this is what it feels like when your arm is still asleep when you wake up. 6/10

The Man In Stripes and Glasses

I don't really know what the point of this song is but it is funny. The tempo changes make it quite dynamic which i really appreciate. his riffs and melodic repetition are greatly supported by this too. rip waldo. 7/10

Untitled [spooky sounds vol 6]

just listen to it. 10/10

Marketland

This used to be my favorite song on the album. The instrumental is extremely catchy and he makes creative use of a lot of different instruments. Every part fits together so well. It holds up as a pretty good allegory for how it feels to engage with modern capitalism :(. I enjoy the progression in both the instrumental and lyrics, where it seems to get a bit darker as the song goes on. Also the solos are great. +1 point for jaw harp too. man i really just love this song; he really paints a picture. 9/10

Untitled [x-ray glasses]

It feels so mysterious, like swimming in a vat of green gatorade. 7/10

Gadzooks

This song isn't great, but i'm pretty sure most of the lyrics are improvised. It's pretty funny, but quite basic for my taste. It sounds more similar to something from Damn Skippy. Bass adds a lot. 6/10

Untitled [prelude to a knife fight]

Very short, setting the tone right away. 8/10

Knife Fight

Immediate high energy. Anger. Fear? Knife. The rap battle or whatever you'd call it part with Uncle Monsterface is really funny. They both just sound like dweebs who want to hurt each other. Well, actually they seem hesitant to hurt each other. You know actually they probably would rather not engage in a knife fight at all if it meant they could avoid the risk of getting injured. And that's exactly what they do. I thought this song was really funny when I heard it for the first time but I'm not really a fan anymore. 6.5/10

Untitled [autofocus]

A perfect introduction to the next track, which also happens to be a masterpiece. 10/10

The Only House That's Not On Fire (Yet)

The lyrics of this song are pretty much nonsense, but they do evoke an emotion. Everything about this song is very nostalgic to me, and neil's choices of instruments play a large part in that. The use of kazoos and the toy piano give a playful feel to the song. I think it's about losing a lover but what do i know. Anyways, there's a hopeful tone that will make you feel... something i dunno ill come back to this paragraph later if something's wrong. 10/10

Untitled [combs]

Sounds like combs to me. Also like dolphins. Which live in the... sea. 7/10

The Ocean

This song is very well structured both with chords and lyrics. His vocals really shine with this song as well. It's just sweet to me :). Feels like a very "Lemon Demon" song. 7.5/10

Untitled [wet hair]

Feels like lying on your back after being on a boat for a while. You know the feeling. 7/10

The Afternoon

I'm not really impressed with this song's instrumental, but i do agree with what he's saying and i think it's emblematic of the album as whole. It feels very creative and curious. I just wish the song ...you know... sounded better. 6/10

Untitled [afterafternoon]

The melody of the previous song gets... le scary..? ok man sure fine. 5/10

Spring Heeled Jack

I actually am a fan of this song. Neil does a great job of conveying the mystery and terror of a figure of mass hysteria. I think this is, to this day, one of his best composed songs. 9/10

Untitled [alternate history]

dude is just fucking around at this point. but it is enough to do its job. 6/10

Being a Rock Star

This is just real. Nobody likes a band who thinks they're bigger than Jesus. Fuck you Oasis. Musically, the song is pretty good too. Not the best, but good. 7/10

Untitled [like a balloon]

alright. 6/10

Ask For Nothing

A song about acceptance and hope i guess. The world is beautiful, even more so with your imagination. I'd like more variety or progression in the song though. 6.5/10

Untitled [disconnect]

good 7/10

The Satirist's Love Song

Fun fact: this song originally had a completely different melody, but was instead fitted to be this. I love this song. Oh yeah by the way I never loved you. This is another example of how LD just defies genre. I'm not sure what you'd even call this, but the instrumental is very good. 9/10

Untitled [therapy]

what is it? well its my... my therapy. im still perfecting it. what does it do? do? yeah whats it for? well nothing. nothing. thats the beauty of it. 10/10

The Machine

People don't understand that you can just do whatever you want. The universe is this huge series of mysterious rules and mechanics that seem to lead to all of this wonder. but as far as its purpose? what other choice does it have? Neil understands the absurdity of reality. And the instrumental gives me goose pimples starting at "lost in solipsism". a menace? grandiose work of art? from the beginning to the end we analyze just to understand the lack of purpose. 10/10

Untitled [between the frames]

beep. bop. too long. 6/10

Bill Watterson

A song about stalking creator of Calvin and Hobbes, who decided his career was a failure after his character was appropriated as a symbol of like, brand rivalry e.g. ford v chevy. yeah id hunker down too if i were this guy. Anyways that makes it 100x funnier that Neil made a song about stalking him. I'd love to hear this performed live by an actual band. Masterpiece. 9/10

Untitled [sleeping]

zzzzzzzzz 7/10

Something Glowing

I think this is a perfect final track. This is about the curiosity of the unknown gently calling out to you when you're about to fall asleep. Very magical, and a great instrumental that builds up well and makes great use of distortive effects. UFOs are also mentioned so +1 point. 8.5/10

Untitled [finale]

uhh ahh AHHh huh oh whew. ow dude get out of my right ear. how it feels to fucking die i guess. 7/10

So, that's the review of the main part of the album. I think this actually works far better as a concept album than any of his others, and particulary i think it's crazy that Spirit Phone came AFTER this. There was so much love and care put into both the instrumentals and the lyrics that evokes imagination and room for interpretation that i feel like he hasn't been able to fully recreate since this period in his musical career. Another thing i find impressive is that all of the artwork associated to this album (like the CD inserts and album cover) captures the aesthetic of the album perfectly. At the time of making this review my favorite tracks are Marketland, The Only House That's Not On Fire (Yet), and Spring Heeled Jack.

Bonus Tracks (will be done later)