Monotract

PITCHFORK REVIEW http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/42830-tr ueno-oscuroWhen I first saw Monotract at 2004's inaugural No Fun Fest, the trio was hunkered over tables, poking at laptops and twiddling mixer knobs. The setup made sense; since Carlos Giffoni's solo work to that point consisted primarily of electronic-based noise, it figured he would surround himself with like-minded sound-makers in a group setting.It turns out that show was an anomaly-- Monotract's roots actually lie more in fractured punk rock than experimental noise. Since forming in Miami in 1998 (and moving to New York in 2000), they have produced a slew of releases exploring many sonic styles and instrumental configurations. But most often, the group starts from a foundation of guitar, bass, and drums. Last year's Xprmntl Lvrs gave the most balanced version of Monotract's noise/rock amalgam, with punkish beats and semi-melodic vocals grafted to harsh electronics and guitar distortion.Trueno Oscuro (which means "Dark Thunder") also stitches rock and noise into one monstrous hybrid, but leans farther toward the rock side than any previous Monotract release: Nearly every song here has a big, bold beat, supplied by the mix-dominating pound of drummer Roger Rimada. On top of that huge pulse, Giffoni and bassist/vocalist Nancy Garcia spin thorny noise, sauntering bass, and rhythmic vocal chants. This spastic combination can produce oddly funky tunes-- a kind of skewed dance-noise akin to the fractured chug of RTX, the disco damage of Ciccone Youth, or even the hardcore crunch of Atari Teenage Riot.There's also something sultry and even seductive about the way Monotract swings and sways here, especially during the songs sung by Garcia. On "Big N", her breathy half-spoken vocals cascade over Ramada's hip-hop beat like syrup over pancakes, while her urgent yelps at the close of "Muddy Thunder" bewitch like Lydia Lunch's best screams. On the only cut without drums, "Under My Arm", she tentatively whispers over whirring drone, her voice a siren as entrancing as Kim Gordon's on Sonic Youth's "Shadow of a Doubt".When Rimada and Giffoni sing, Monotract's sound gets a little less unpredictable. The marching thump of "Ballad of Lechon", DNA-like stop/start of "Cafu y Kaka", and metallic stomp of "Mar Roja" are all meaty enough on their own, but strung together they feel like blurry photocopies of each other. But whatever repetition Trueno Oscuro suffers from is easily offset by the record's many high points, making for another unique entry in Monotract's rainbow-colored catalog.-Marc Masters, May 18, 2007 ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------ Ocean Drive Magazine (scroll down once you get to the link) http://www.oceandrive.com/hybrid/features/magic/ ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------DUSTED REVIEW Monotracts first performance in New York City, which they now call home, came in 2000 at the Knitting Factory as part of Thurston Moores New Years Noise 2000. The nights bill wasnt full of slouches (Moore and Susie Ibarra, Tower Recordings, and the Wharton Tiers Ensemble also performed), but Monotract came away as the nights strangest bird. This performance came at the end of its third tour, but the band was still without a full-length effort. Blaggout, released in 2000 on Animal World Recordings, was a jarring debut, the broken glass that came as part of the packaging an apt metaphor for the music within. Pagu, issued by Public Eyesore in 2002, largely forsook the trios fragmented rock side for a full-on explosion of damaged electronics and warped, crude stabs of mangled dance music. At No Fun Fest 2005, however, Monotract took the stage with drums, guitar, and bass, and proceeded to play some of their most straightforward material to date. That set served as a preview for Xprmntl Lvrs, Monotract's best work yet. =====================To the unfamiliar listener, its not hard to mistake Monotract for a rock band whose muse put a finger in an electrical socket. There are Hard Days I Cant Forget opens with an off-kilter rhythm of sizzled electronics, augmented quickly by bass and drums before maintaining a steady (if pockmarked) groove under the distorted vocals of Nancy Garcia. The track is indicative of the nature of Monotracts rock-based music, in that the tracks, like Paper Bag, are simple combinations of rhythm and melody. But Monotract arent the sort of group to let things play out too simply, and the tracks more streamlined core exists under a dark cloud of noise, with Garcias multi-tracked vocals a ragged chorus of barbed-wire incantation. Projectus is likely the most easily digested track Garica, Carlos Giffoni, and Roger Rimada have ever laid down, minus the implosion that occurs midway through the song. ================Monotract wouldnt be Monotract, however, without shifting gears, often mid-flight, and Xprmntl Lvrs is a continuation of the bands penchant for multiplicity. Muerta and Detruccion departs rather markedly from any prior rock leanings, with gloopy electronics, languid guitars and monotone, spoken lyrics over a repetitive beat. The track deteriorates into a flurry of malfunctioning circuits, and never quite recovers. And though Game 7 and its plodding beats makes fleeting concessions toward familiar song structure, the bulk of the remainder of the album veers far from the beaten path. Monotract never disavows the power of steady rhythms, but it's prone to torture, adorning them with wild electronic crossfire and nonlinear guitar. Repetitive sound collage, long a trademark weapon, rules Halloweenie, a track that wouldnt be out of place on one of the trios earlier releases. Bushwick Blues, at almost eight minutes, closes the album, a convenient microcosm of Xprmntl Lvrs as a whole, flirting with accessibility before leaving for more abstract territory, and, of course, changing trajectories liberally as it evolves.============= One reason Xprmntl Lvrs stands at the apex of Monotracts catalog is its ability to please (and perhaps annoy) both those who enjoy the bands forays into rock and those who yearn for more disturbed pastures. The album isn't seamless by any means, but purposefully so, and Monotract continue to prove themselves to be shape-shifters extraordinaire.By Adam Strohm ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ -----------------------------------Complete Discography: XPRMNTL LVRS Full Length CD Ecstatic Peace Records (out NOW) Bananafish ..18 - Compilation CD Fitty Bomb (2004) Out Split 7 inch with Decaer Pinga Take Me to My Car Records, Gameboy and Breathmint (2003) Audio Dispatch 08: Radio Action, Free 103.9 Compilation CD, Houses Have Smells (2003) Live at Muriki Muzendera-Tokyo CDR collaboration with Astro RRR Records Pagu Full Length LP Public Eyesore (2002) Paralisis de la Conciencia y other esoteric fuck demons Cassette - Spite Records (2002) Live Cuts 98-2000 CDR - Freedom From (2001) Analogous Indirect - Compilation LP Public Eyesore (2001) blaggout Full Length CD Animal World Recordings (2000) Red Tape/Lets Go to the Beach Cassette White Tapes (1999) All My Shit - Split 7 inch with Gang Wizard - Take Me to My Car Records and Black Bean and Placenta records(1999) Trafficant 7 inch - Spy Fi Records (1998)