The Monitor
About this Album
The Monitor is the second studio album by Titus Andronicus, recorded in August 2009 with producer Kevin McMahon and released on XL Recordings on March 9, 2010.[1] It is a loose concept album built on American Civil War themes, taking its title from the USS Monitor, the first ironclad warship commissioned by the US Navy.
The record runs about 65 minutes and uses spoken-word passages from historical figures, voiced by guests including Craig Finn as Walt Whitman, as connective tissue.[1] Reviewers read the war as a metaphor for present-day American anger and division.[2] It earned an 82 on Metacritic and a place in Pitchfork's top ten albums of 2010.[1]