In quite a humbling moment, we got our first email from a band, Mono in VCF. Let me first start off by saying there are moments when you hear a song and you immediately recognize it as new and unique and you can’t help but get excited at the prospect of listening to the full album. That being said, listen to the song Escape City Scrapers right now.
Based out of Tacoma, Washington, Mono in VCF describe their music as “psychedelic, cinematic and romantically dark.” Their description is pretty much spot-on. Their songs are full of so much atmosphere and have so many elegant layers that I found myself getting lost in each instrument and getting more out of each song after every listen. The haunting vocals, ethereal strings, intricate yet subtle drums and rhythms all seem to be softly placed with care in each song.
In their songs, it’s clear that Mono in VCF is heavily influenced by the “Wall of Sound” production technique developed by record producer Phil Spector. Briefly summarized, it involves the use of natural reverberation and echo to develop a distinct quality and gave a rich and complex sound compared to other mono recordings of the time. “VCF” stands for voltage-controlled filter, a feature on many Moog synthesizers. Drawing influences from composers David Axelrod, John Barry and Ennio Morricone, the band successfully manges to create a classic sound that pushes through modern music and yet be distinctly pop. I’ve found that many bands come close to achieving this but never quite capture it like Mono in VCF does.
They’re nearly done with their debut album, merely tying up loose ends now, and should be finished in August. They happen to be playing Bumbershoot Festival in September, so I would definitely recommend catching them if I could. You can buy your tickets here. You will definitely be hearing more about them.
-Erick
Mp3’s
Escape City Scrapers – Yes, you need to listen to it again.
Links
Those funky Sweds never cease to amaze when it comes to music, found this gem on Last.FM. After the incredible second album Deep Cuts which includes the hit Heartbeats, comes We Share Our Mother’s Health from the album Silent Shout. This strange synthpop song has quite a funky beat and chilling vocals, especially when the male vocals come in half way. The music video is equally funky and slightly disturbing. Other greats by The Knife are 
Praise be to the Digg for occasionally having an awesome music video, this was also how I discovered the bands Ok Go and Mute Math. Although this isn’t the official music video its a fun lip dub done by the crazy people over at 