| CD REVIEW The Mono Effect |
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Band : The Mono Effect Taking influences from previous bands (including the still operating Phinius Cage) and the likes of Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Weezer, and Smashing Pumpkins, cambridge based Alternative Rock band The Mono Effect was founded 3 years ago in a line-up comprising Miba (lead vocals & guitar), Matty Moon (guitar & backing vocals), Dave (bass & backing vocals) and Ed206 (drums & backing vocals). Since then, they've recorded a couple of demos, toured all over the UK (with a rather heavy schedule during which they shared stages with the likes of Brigade, Dive Dive, Fighting With Wire, Jetplane Landing, and many more), got featured in (British) national press, and were regularly featured on Britain's top radio station Radio One with their melodic Power Rock songs! In October 2007 the quartet went into Foel Studios (Wales) with their good friend and producer Russ Russell (check Napalm Death, Wildhearts...) to record the 11 songs which would become their official full-length debut (if I'm not mistaken it was later mixed & mastered at Parlour Studios in Northampton). The idea was to have a ready album, and then shop it around to see which labels would be interested. As early as February 11, the guys already put the song "Blessed By Angels" on their MySpace as a teaser for their fans. Two months later Moon announced his departure from the outfit, wanting to try out new ventures. His swift replacement came with former Right Turn Clyde and current Phinius Cage's Carl "Karlos" Brown. More good news came later in May, when the band signed a deal for the release of their album through Lockjaw. The band's material on Giants is a hook laden Power Rock with occasional (Pop) Punk Rock affinities (mainly in some of the faster songs) and harmonized backing vocals (easily enough attained with 3 backing singers) upon a mostly clear lead singer. There àre a couple of passages where he brings an enthousiast scream, something which excels in the song "Kill The Mood", which is overall different from the rest of the songs in that it also features some "Rapped" fast spoken/sung vocal passages. Another track which jumps out is the balladesque "Lull", which indeed opens acoustically and then gets a more energetic ending. For your taste of the album, surf to the band's own website themonoeffect.com (4 songs posted) or myspace.com/themonoeffect (down for maintenance when I went to look before finishing this review, and where you should be able to find at least one móre track off the album – I'm guessing they're were adding more audio to the site, but then it could also be blogs). Some (loose) UK gigs in September and October have already been posted at the band's website, but the guys have already announced that they will again be touring more extensively later this year and early the next! An album with catchy material and enough variety (in the faster played music category), and if Alternative Rock is your thing, you should definitively check TME out! 90/100 Tony. |