Reviews
Recorded almost entirely by the man himself, the album kicks off with 'Where's the Fire John?', and Monroe dives head-first into global politics and environmental responsibility. 'Make It Go Away' follows, with a similarly punky, rock 'n' roll tune carrying a lyric detailing personal demons and their habit of catching up with you.
'Second Time Around' is a ramalama punk song displaying a fondness for MC5 and the Ramones and in true punk fashion is over in about two minutes. 'Always Right' slows things down a little, and explains Mike's attitude - 'I'm always right, even when I'm wrong . . . I get protection from my soul' - over a classic mid-paced rock song, although as Mike points out, 'I'm not user friendly!'.
'Relationship Wrecked' follows, beginning with a typically Stiv Bators garage rock intro, an influence confirmed as the song continues to follow the garage/trash blueprint with a dark sense of humour - 'The light at the end of the tunnel's just a train . . .'
'Loneliness Loves Me More' is a melodic slow-burner, proving that Mike is perfectly adequate at playing more intricate guitar parts as well as five-chord punk rock anthems. His MC5 influence is made obvious with the cover of 'Kick Out the Jams' that follows, and this also highlights that the album was made more for enjyoment than commercial reasons, as covering such a near-perfect song would seem pointless in any other circumstance. Similarly, 'Not Anymore' pays tribute to Mike's departed friend Stiv Bators, but can't claim to add anything to the original. (Anyone who has seen Mike perform will know that he enjoys performing these tributes as much as his own songs.)
Penultimate track 'Rent Free' could quite easily be off Guns 'n' Roses 'Use Your Illusion' albums, and is a fast rocker that warns off any potential hangers-on in a convincing fashion. Closing with the title track 'Peace of Mind', Mike gets all weird on us, and studio trickery is used to cut and splice guitar noises, saxophone licks and vocals into a disorganised mess, and they are all played back at a faster pitch than recorded to make the track even scarier.
All in all, there is no reason why modern teenage punks into Blink 182 or Green Day should dislike this album, unless of course they hold prejudices that are based on age rather than talent. . .