Staff Reviews

The Monochrome Set - Spaces Everywhere

Review by Neil Ashman

Bland maturity pervades the album.»

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"On one hand, the music is very melodic and cheerful. The lyrics, however, deal with death, decay, change ... no wonder we are rather popular with the undead," says singer, guitarist and songwriter Bid of the new The Monochrome Set album 'Spaces Everywhere'. A very particular humour. And a very unique sound: Although this time banjos, Hammond organ, female backing vocals and even flutes can be heard on the new album, experts and laymen alike will recognize: This is The Monochrome Set. Undistorted, nervous guitars, like the soundtrack to a Nouvelle Vague film ... but one featuring Michael Caine, Louis de Funes and Belmondo (directed by Andy Warhol). Peculiarly timeless, it is a sound that can not be categorized. Although rooted in the 1950s and 60s (the guitar sound, for example, is a hybrid of Duane Eddy and Sterling Morrison), it still feels oddly modern. Then there is Bid's voice, which this time is more reminiscent of the great American crooners than of Lou Reed. Bid wrote most of the songs in May and June of 2014. Perhaps the band's popularity among the undead will diminish upon hearing the springtime air that can thus be detected in this music? Nevertheless - like virtually every album by The Monochrome Set - this album, which was recorded in Brixton in London, has the potential to become a classic, the potential to be a hit. While music historians and critics continue to grapple with the baffling reasons why this band has never attained major success, the in-crowd has always known what they have in The Monochrome Set. Time and again, the story is repeated of how Johnny Marr found a single by the band in Morrissey's record collection and decided it might not be a bad idea to start a band with the somewhat eccentric singer. The influence of The Monochrome Set on bands like Felt, Franz Ferdinand, Belle and Sebastian or the Strokes can hardly be ignored. With 'Spaces Everywhere' The Monochrome Set present an album that will become a modern classic like 'Eligible Bachelors' or 'Strange Boutique'.
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