Here’s the newest song from YANP favorite (and namesake), Bishop Allen. They appear to be going strong with their one-EP-a-month project. January and February were gems, and March just might be a diamond.

MP3: Bishop Allen - Monitor
I never thought of Bishop Allen as a romantic band until they started this project. Sure, they sing songs about companionship and solidarity, but there’s a difference between being in love and being a romantic. But as songs like “Corazon” and “The Monitor” keep creeping up on us, I think we might be getting a deeper look at the boys behind the band.

“The Monitor” is a song of two sides. In the first portion, Justin Rice tells the true to life story about the Civil War ship from which the song draws its name. Men that were on the ship, at that battle, and who were thankfully to be alive afterwards. After a chorus of “la de da”s, the real meat of the song begins. Inner questioning and the band itself provide an interesting parallel to the bloody war. Justin ponders his courage while Christian Rudder experiments with his delay pedal in what could be the band’s biggest instrumental success since the inclusion of the piano–which, by the way, has finally been integrated to the point where I wonder how they ever got along without it.

Unfortunately the EP is not yet for sale. I’ll be posting as soon as it is, however. In the mean time, I suggest that you friend Bishop Allen on Myspace.