All the way back in 2019 I reviewed the self-titled release Monrad from Monrad. I was attracted to the Leonard Cohen type baritone as well as the dynamic and inventive music. The artist is back with a followup entitled Wired.
The album contains eleven songs and the vocals are still the central focal point to the music. Musically, the songs are rock but also sort of a dark mix of surf, spaghetti western and other like minded genres. Up first is “Velvet Melody” which is both fun and upbeat but also dark. I loved the way these qualities were juxtaposed against each other. There’s a danceable post-punk like quality to the music. The title track “Wired” is a great song and has a very similar quality. You can dance to this song but it’s dark. The female vocal harmonies were a nice touch. Something about the song made me think of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. “Villain” is another cool song. He’s borderline rapping on the verse in his own distinct way and on the chorus he sounds more like Tom Waits. It’s an interesting dichotomy. I loved the beginning of “South-southwest” which is arguably the best groove on the album. The reverb-laced root notes on the guitar on this album quickly become a part of the signature sound. There are also wonderful horns on this song. “One-Stop-Shop” is a unique song amongst unique songs. It’s more ambient and the melodic maneuvers are hypnotic and sort of jagged. The more ’80s inspired “Break It” sounded good and “Turmoil” was a danceable song. One of the highlights was the slow burn of “Midday Sun” and i was reminded somewhat of the band Mogwai in terms of the music. “Night Shadow” closes out the album. The music is really great and sort of has this psychedelic and electronic quality to it but also very nice guitar and sax work. This is another great release from Monrad. I think the artist contains an amalgamation of influences but definitely has a signature sound. Take a listen.
1 Comment
Monrad
7/30/2021 02:25:47 am
Thanks a lot for the great review! Very much appreciated!!
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