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Highlighting in album tracklistings denotes 'contains Mellotron'. On 'multi-part' tracks I've tried to indicate which parts contain 'Tron, although this isn't always possible.
Ratings:
The * rating (½-5) is my personal, entirely subjective and completely partisan rating of the music.
The 'T' ('Tron, of course...) rating (0-5) is an only slightly more objective indicator of an album's Mellotronness.
By the way, if you know of any Mellotron albums that aren't listed here, please look at my albums page first! Thanks.
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The Believer (2006, 43.20) ***½/TTT |
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| My Valentine Help Me, Suzanne Meteor Shower Brand New Way Ain't That Strange I Believe She's Lying Fireflies Singular Girl |
I'm With Her Delicate The Believer Question |
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Rhett Miller (2009, 42.25) ***/T |
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| Nobody Says I Love You Anymore Like Love Caroline I Need to Know Where I Stand Happy Birthday Don't Die Bonfire Haphazardly If It's Not Love |
Another Girlfriend Refusing Temptation Lashes Sometimes |
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Chamberlins/Mellotron used:
Rhett Miller is The Old 97's vocalist, although he somehow finds time to run a parallel solo career; 2006's The Believer is his third album, although the first pre-dates his involvement with his main band. It's a pleasing mix of alt.country and powerpop, although most of its contents fall into one camp or the other, rather than combining them, highlights including opener My Valentine, the rockier Ain't That Strange and Delicate and closer Question. Patrick Warren and Jon Brion both play Chamberlin on the album; is this overkill? Thankfully not, with flutes on opener My Valentine, strings all over Help Me, Suzanne, Meteor Shower, Brand New Way and I Believe She's Lying, although I'm pretty sure the pedal steel on Fireflies is real (the Chamby's known for its emulation). More strings on I'm With Her and the title track and what sounds like solo violin (is there such a Chamby sound?) on Question. Excellent!
Miller followed up, three years later, with Rhett Miller, and I'm afraid to say, while perfectly pleasant, it's all a bit unengaging, being more alt.country than powerpop and a more downbeat record all round. Despite the presence of Jon Brion again, Rip Rowan plays Mellotron this time round, with a ripping (sorry) pitchbent string part on Another Girlfriend, plus a more subdued part on closer Sometimes, making for a rather lesser album, at least in my eyes.
So; The Believer beats Rhett Miller hands down on every front, it seems, unless you intensely dislike powerpop and love alt.country, in which case, ignore me.
See: The Old 97's | Pine Valley Cosmonauts
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Children of the Future (1968, 36.58) ***½/T½ |
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| Children of the Future Pushed Me to it You've Got the Power In My First Mind The Beauty of Time is That it's Snowing Baby's Callin' Me Home Steppin' Stone |
Roll With it Junior Saw it Happen Fanny Mae Key to the Highway |
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Mellotron used:
Steve Miller's first album, Children of the Future, is stylistically a long way from the mainstream radio rock he churned out later on in his career, sitting somewhere between blues-rock (Fanny Mae, Steppin' Stone) and psych (side one's linked tracks). It's actually pretty good, and nowhere near as formative as you might expect, with good musicianship all round, with Miller and future solo star Boz Scaggs sharing the guitar work. The album was recorded in the UK (Olympic Studios in London, fact fans), with noted engineer Glyn Johns at the desk.
There were few Mellotrons in America in the '60s (although Chamberlins were used), but recording in Britain meant that Olympic's MkII found its way onto the album, played by either keys man Jim Peterman or Miller himself. It's only actually on two tracks, with the chief use being on the lengthy In My First Mind on side one, with strings running right through the song in a most pleasing manner, with a little more on the following The Beauty Of Time Is That It's Snowing.
So; a good psych/blues album, for want of a better description, with one classic 'Tron track. No 'Tron on Sailor from later the same year, although it was another Glyn Johns production, although it's rumoured to be found on '69's Brave New World; more news when I get to hear a copy.
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Bafflemania (2005, 47.00) ***½/TT½ |
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| Prologue You're So Existential Arcade Love Machine Any Further Attempt to Contact Me Will Be Ignored The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore Fragments Expressions Worn in Autumn Yesterday's Garbage |
Barbecue Sauce Psychotic Episode Mighty Mouth (Version 2) Liberation Acka Raga How's Your Fuzzy Box I'll Wake Up Dead That Morning When I'm Gone Epilogue |
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It's difficult to find out any hard-and-fast information regarding the Milman-Brignall Enigma, as they obscure the issue with misinformation; for what it's worth, Bafflemania was certainly not recorded between 1971 and 2007... Then again, the actual recording dates fell somewhere between those two years, so are they lying? You see what I mean, anyway... It seems likely that the band really does consist of Alan Milman (vocals and other bits) and Matt Brignall (assorted guitars and keyboards), both of whom have been around for 'a while', and are probably now headed inexorably for their 50s. Which matters not one jot when you hear the album (or indeed, at all); an insane blend of garage punk, authentic late-'60s psych and various other disparate influences, all chucked into a Magimix and sugar-coated with analogue keyboards and effects.
I'm not sure I even consider myself competent to describe the music, although some of it is actually quite straightforward. The parts that aren't, however, include fucked-up acoustic ballads, mangled psych and the new wonder of the modern world that is How's Your Fuzzy Box, veering wildly between arranged sections and anarchy. Brignall and David Will play the studio Mellotron, with strings and choirs on their suitably OTT version of the Walker Brothers' lugubrious The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore, and distorted flutes (!) on Mighty Mouth (Version 2). Choir on Acka Raga and strings and flutes on the fairly random How's Your Fuzzy Box finish things off, with much of the 'Tron work being original enough to earn them another half 'T'.
So; a weird album, both of the '60s and up-to-the-minute at the same time. If you like the sound of what they do, you can't go too far wrong, especially with the bonus of some decent Mellotron work. Worth the effort.
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Music for Paradise (1987, 45.27) ***/TT½ParadiseBeing One (Air) One Being (Water) Changes in Being (Fire) Being Home Again (Earth) The End of Time Kandy Sweets The Silence |
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Shambhala (1997, 54.50) ***/T½Dreamy KathmanduThe World of Koto Brahmaputra Shambala Distant Echoes |
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Avatar (1998, 64.16) ***/TTT½ThunderchildMagic Garden Freak Street Avatar's Dream Avatar Beyond Thunderchild (the Radiocut) |
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Under the Stars (2000, recorded 199?-99, 67.26) ***/TTTA Night in Mogul's GardenMello(w) Kathmandu Mahatma Gandhi Vive la Vie The Universe of Koto Drifting on Brahmaputra |
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Signs of Life: A Tribute to Pink Floyd (2000, 10.44) ***/TT[Mind Over Matter (as Mindala) contribute]Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun |
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Mellotrons used:
Klaus Hoffmann-Hoock had been making music of one sort or another for twenty years when he formed Mind Over Matter in the mid-'80s. Drawing together all his influences, not least those from the Indian subcontinent, his vision with the band was for an electronic outfit with an 'ethnic' bent, operating towards the new age end of the spectrum, before it became a dirty word. Think: an Asian/European Kitaro, and you won't be too far off the mark.
Music for Paradise was their first release, fitting their stated remit like a glove, which means you'll either sit back, relax and love it, or start fidgeting, wondering when it's going to take off. That's actually a slightly unfair appraisal, as part three of the side-long Paradise, Changes In Being (Fire), picks up quite nicely, as you'd expect from its title, although the bulk of the album is possibly slightly too laid-back for its own good. Despite being recorded in 1986, there aren't too many digital horrors here, although Klaus seems quite proud of the fact that a DX7 was utilised on some tracks. The keyboard sounds are actually all very acceptable, particularly a rare '80s appearance from an M400 on a good half of the album's length. Part two of Paradise, One Being (Water), features background strings followed by an upfront flute part, then choirs under the guitar solo in part three, before a string part in the closing section. Background choirs under the narration on The End Of Time precede a more overt string line, but that appears to be your lot, as the choirs on Kandy Sweets are almost certainly the DX.
I haven't heard Mind Over Matter's intervening three albums, 1988's The Colours of Life, 1990's ominously titled Trance'n'Dance and '95's Palace of the Winds, but '97's Shambhala is pretty similar to their debut from ten years earlier; at least you can say they're consistent. It's a perfectly pleasant blend of Eastern mysticism and Western electronic music, if entirely unengaging, which is probably the point. Herr Hoffmann-Hoock plays one or more of the multiple 'Trons he's owned over the years, with ethereal flutes on The World Of Koto, Brahmaputra, although I suspect the ones on closer Distant Echoes are actually synth.
Avatar, from a whole year later, is a very different album, being a far more dance-orientated effort than its predecessor, with (mostly wordless) vocals on several tracks. It's actually not bad for something that seems to be trying to ape Goan trance or somesuch, probably because of Hoffmann-Hoock's musicality and wildly varied influences, which isn't to say that EM devotees are necessarily going to like this. Mellotron all over the place this time, with strings under the (non-'Tron) church organ, choirs and flutes on Thunderchild (and its edit, 'The Radiocut', stuck on the end of the disc), more distant strings on Magic Garden, what sounds like female, followed by mixed voices on Freak Street, strings and flutes on Avatar's Dream plus mixed choir and strings on Avatar itself.
2000's Under the Stars is a compilation of live tracks, four from the previous year and two earlier ones. It probably works well as a MOM primer, showcasing their different sides in an onstage setting, more dynamic than The Colours of Life, but without the trancey-ness of Avatar. 'Tron on most tracks, with distant strings on A Night In Mogul's Garden, rather more obvious ones, plus flutes, on Mello(w) Kathmandu, background, reverb-drenched strings, flutes and church organ on Mahatma Gandhi, strings on The Universe Of Koto and finally, flutes on Drifting on Brahmaputra under a real one, plus choirs and strings. Mind you, you get two sounds at once sometimes, so I don't know how authentic these might be...
Klaus is notorious for having owned, at one time or another, somewhere around thirty different Mellotrons, of all models. I met the man a few years ago at a festival in Holland, where he told me that the Mark V was all well and good, but he never found two tape frames that were actually in tune with each other to the point where the instrument became usable! He told me he played 'Tron on several other Mind Over Matter albums, although, given his enthusiasm for his 'Megatron', a large sample bank of 'Tron sounds from his own collection, I'm slightly dubious about some of their later efforts. At least one Megatron sound (his recreation of the infamous 'Watcher Of The Skies' patch) has found its way onto the M-Tron collection, should you wish to own such a thing. Klaus has played Mellotron on several other people's albums, not to mention his own side-project, the full-on 'Berlin School' of Cosmic Hoffmann, which may be more to the tastes of your typical EM fan than these. I shall review any other Mind Over Matter albums I come across, but I can't guarantee they'll be any more dynamic than this one. Incidentally, Music for Paradise was originally issued only on vinyl, gaining a CD issue in 1991, remixed with two extra tracks.
See: Cosmic Hoffmann
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Down With Wilco (a Tragedy in Three Halfs) (2003, 42.02) ***/T |
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| The Days of Wine and Booze Retrieval of You That's Not the Way That it's Done The Town That Lost its Groove Supply Daggers Drawn Where Will You Go? Life Left Him There |
The Family Gardener The Old Plantation What I Don't Believe View from Below I'm Not Bitter Dear Employer (The Reason I Quit) |
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The Minus 5 could probably loosely be described as 'powerpop', although they refuse to fit into the standard Beatles/Big Star configuration, choosing to take influences from a broader range of styles. They're effectively a Scott McCaughey solo project, each lineup featuring different guest musicians, including members of R.E.M. and The Posies, amongst others, plus an early They Might Be Giants connection. 2003's grammatically-iffy Down With Wilco (a Tragedy in Three Halfs) is something like the band's fifth proper album (it's not that easy to tell) and is, unsurprisingly, a collaboration with Wilco, sounding, again unsurprisingly, not that dissimilar to that band in their later incarnation, i.e. perfectly respectable, but a little unengaging.
Charlie Francis plays Mellotron (Wilco's?) on Daggers Drawn, with a cello part that could almost be real. Nice, but inessential, to be honest. Overall, a good album, but possibly a little too like recent Wilco to really hit the spot, unless, of course, you like Wilco's recent work. One 'Tron track, but nothing you're going to want to splash out proper money for.
See: Wilco | R.E.M. | The Posies | They Might Be Giants
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Nevergreen! (1972, 37.28) ***/TSpoiled LoveSong for Ann Time Will Change Only Me Sorcery Filled Up Kids Hunting |
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Munich's Missing Link released their sole album, Nevergreen!, in 1972, apparently utilising Embryo's Dieter Miekautsch on keys. The album is a slightly odd mixture of styles, sounding very slightly how Uriah Heep may have sounded had they tried to play jazz-rock; since we've been spared that particular delight, the possibly more competent Missing Link can show us how it might have sounded. The material is rather less memorable than Heep's best, though closer Kids Hunting is a good, rocking track, with touches of fusion and prog thrown into the mix.
Miekautsch's highlight here is instrumental piano piece Song For Ann, although there's some nice ripping Hammond in places, particularly on Kids Hunting. Can't say there's much happening on the Mellotron front, unfortunately, with naught but an atmospheric string part towards the end of opener Spoiled Love. Overall, then, not a bad album, but nowhere near 'outstanding', although parts of it may grow on the listener with repeated plays.
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Barren Dream (1987, 52.22/57.05) ***½/½ |
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| All the Fallen People Overtune Madrigal Rhapsody Fantasy Sweet Revenge Intermezzo Step Into Easter Eternal Jealousy Prelude |
Intake Stillglow Return Lagrima Barren Dream Act I Act II [CD adds: Eternal Jealousy (single version)] |
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Mr Sirius, a.k.a. Kazuhiro Miyataka, is a multi-instrumentalist whose first (?) solo album, Barren Dream, falls broadly into that '80s Japanese prog' category, which doesn't really tell you that much about it, I suppose. It has elements of symphonic progressive, fusion and probably several other styles I haven't yet identified, which can make for a slightly disjointed listening experience although, overall, it's a good album. Difficult to pick out highlights on a first listen, but All The Fallen People is possibly the most cohesive track, and the nearest to 'typical' progressive.
Miyataka is credited with Mellotron on part one of All The Fallen People, Overtune (well, that's what it says in the booklet), but all I can hear is a couple of string chords on the intro, which don't even sound that 'Tronlike. As a result, this is no 'Tron album, but worth hearing for those into that peculiarly Japanese style of symphonic prog.
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Yugake (2007, 41.17) ***/TTTYugakeHanamizake Yatagarasu Riu Tsukinokusa Tsuyunokusa Ruten-Ame |
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Mizukagami, named for a Japanese historical epic, are a new progressive outfit, taking their inspiration from the '70s bands and the first wave of Japanese prog, I'm pleased to say. Their problem is, a few minutes of their music makes you feel that the future of progressive rock is in safe hands, but two or three tracks have you (or at least, me) reaching for the 'skip' button. The music's good, but there's a fatal lack of variety, and Tanaami Futaba's vocals are almost unerringly flat when she hits high and/or sustained notes, apart from the rare occasions when she's sharp. This is no small matter; her vocals are so central to the band's sound that her appalling tuning (who produced this, and are they incapable of asking for more takes?) frankly ruins the effect completely. You don't need to have perfect pitch to wince every time (and there are many of them) she doesn't quite reach the note.
2007's Yugake is their second album; their eponymous debut (reviewed here) appears to contain samples. It's not a bad album, but its cumulative effect is mildly numbing, to be honest, with the unwelcome addition of the aforementioned vocal problems. It's a real shame, actually, as she has a lovely voice. If only 'twere in pitch... Junya Anan plays various keys, including what (this time) sounds like real Mellotron, particularly in the flute department, with so much key-click that I'm beginning to wonder whether he's using samples deliberately infected with an unnecessarily loud click to prove their 'authenticity'. Let's hope not. Anyway, flutes on all tracks, with strings that may or may not be Mellotronic in the background on most tracks, too.
So; lovely in small doses, less so in larger ones, but reasonable amounts of (hopefully real) Mellotron. Just a shame about that voice...
See: Sampledelica!
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Good News for People Who Love Bad News (2004, 48.40) ***/T |
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| Horn Intro The World at Large Float on The Ocean Breathes Salty Dig Your Grave Bury Me With it Dance Hall Bukowski |
This Devil's Workday The View Satin in a Coffin Interlude (Milo) Blame it on the Tetons Black Cadillacs One Chance The Good Times Are Killing Me |
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Modest Mouse seem to inhabit the odder end of post-punk US indie, being perfectly happy to juxtapose banjos with brass, or blatantly pastiche Tom Waits though, admittedly, not in the same song. I'll admit to being quite unqualified to review their fourth album, Good News for People Who Love Bad News, as I really don't get where they're coming from at all, but kudos to the band for making a commercial success out of being left-field, even if they slip into standard 'misery' mode every now and again.
Mellotron on three tracks, though the only overt use is a big string part on The World At Large, from Dann Gallucci. Right at the end of the song, the pitch is wound right down, and the 'Tron (it sounds pretty real) is played at a lower pitch, allowing notes to be held for longer; nice effect, guys. No, really. Gallucci also plays it on The View, and Eric Judy plays on Float On (sadly, nothing to do with the ludicrous Philly soul hit by The Floaters), although it's difficult to work out what exactly it's supposed to be doing, as it's pretty much inaudible in both cases.
So; US indie oddballs, one decent 'Tron track. Depends how you feel about oddball US indie, I suppose.
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The Moffs (1985, 33.57) ***½/TTLook to FindA Million Years Past I Once Knew I'll Lure You on The Meadowsong |
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Labyrinth (1988, 48.35) ***½/½Touch the GroundTapestry Surprised The Grazing Eyes Desert Sun Always a Flame Stealing Cake (to Eat the Moon) Who'll Point You |
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The Moffs were a Sydney-based psychedelic band, which probably wasn't the hottest route to success in the '80s, more's the pity. They released a demo and a single before their self-titled mini-album debut appeared in '85, sounding about as far from the pop mainstream of the time as it could. Early Pink Floyd are an obvious initial comparison, with plenty of Farfisa in evidence (although without the cavernous reverb that the Floyd preferred), and generally pretty laid-back material, though, like their mentors, a certain tension is apparent throughout the album, avoiding potential accusations of blandness. It's difficult to pick out a 'best track', but this reviewer particularly liked I Once Knew, while closer The Meadowsong is easily the longest piece here, topping twelve minutes, for fans of epic psych. Guitarist Tom Kazas doubles on Mellotron, playing string parts on all three highlighted tracks, with the most upfront use being on I Once Knew.
After another two singles (no, I've no idea where you might find these things, even in Sydney), the band released their sole full album, Labyrinth, in '88. Opener Touch The Ground sounds a lot like '70s Floyd this time, unfashionable though they are amongst psych fans, although the band unblot their copybook with Tapestry, which could be an outtake from More or Ummagumma. Some of the material actually sits more in the progressive than the psychedelic camp, notably the fantastically-titled instrumental Stealing Cake (To Eat The Moon) and closer Who'll Point You. Practically no obvious credited Mellotron (from Kazas again), sadly, with possibly background strings on Surprised and flutes on Who'll Point You, though the instrument (if that's what it is) has been mixed so far down, it's very difficult to tell.
So; two quite different, but very worthwhile albums from an unfairly forgotten band, assuming they could ever have said to be 'known'. Psych fans most definitely need to apply, unless they're stuck in a 'late-'60s or bust' mentality, in which case they might as well give up now. If you're after some Hot Mellotron Action, though, while The Moffs might keep you happy for a short while, Labyrinth will only disappoint. OK, what we need now is official, easy-to-obtain reissues of both albums, with various single tracks as bonuses, to finally give the band some long-overdue respect.
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7" (1968) ***½/TT½ We Are the Moles (part 1) We Are the Moles (part 2) |
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The Moles were none other than Simon Dupree and the Big Sound, who later morphed into the phenomenal Gentle Giant, of course. I don't know the history behind this semi-novelty record's release, but I'd guess that after their major success with the wonderful Kites, The Big Sound's record company were desperate to get them another hit by any means. We Are The Moles failed miserably on that front, but manages to be a rather good little song in its own right, with 'Simon Dupree' (Derek Shulman)'s distorted vocal, rhyming (rather predictably) 'moles' with 'holes'.
There's barely any Mellotron on the A-side, but the (superior?) flip has loads of flutes and strings, creating one of the UK psych scene's lesser-known 'Tron classics. You'll never find an original copy, but that matters not one jot, as it's just been reissued on Simon Dupree's Part of My Past anthology, released in early 2004. The album's more than worthy of your attention anyway, with these two tracks being a bit of a bonus.
See: Simon Dupree and the Big Sound
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A Night at Raji's EP (2001, 17.58) ****/TTA Night at Raji'sPavement Mute Naples Narcotics 22nd March |
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Songs for Vowels & Mammals (2004?, 61.41) ****/TTT½ |
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| Track 1 Track 2 Track 3 Track 4 Track 5 Track 6 Track 7 Track 8 Track 9 |
Track 10 Track 11 Track 12 Track 13 Track 14 Track 15 Track 16 Track 17 Track 18 |
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Dial (2007, 32.55) ***/TTDial |
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To be honest, I don't know an awful lot about Molesome, only that Änglagård drummer Mattias Olsson is heavily involved (it's Mattias' proud boast that there's Mellotron to be found on every single album he's played on, which has to be applauded...). Like most of his recent work, such as Geller and Pineforest Crunch, A Night at Raji's (sort of) falls into the 'intelligent, offbeat pop' category, which can be no bad thing. Mixing programmed instruments with good old-fashioned acoustic ones, it's actually effectively instrumental, although with some spoken word parts, so I suppose it isn't 'pop' at all, really. Narcotics is particularly good, with an amusing exchange on the subject of, er, 'substances'. Mellotron flutes on both Naples and 22nd March, with a couple of pitchbends to let you know it's real (as if...), along with the glockenspiels, tremolo guitar etc. A Night at Raji's is a pretty cool, modern record, which even died-in-the-wool prog fans may find acceptable; I've no idea if the band is an even remotely full-time proposition, or simply another one of Mattias' projects, but a whole album of this stuff would be most welcome.
You know when they say, "You should be careful what you wish for..."? Three or so years later, what should fall onto my doormat but a full-length Molesome album, Songs for Vowels & Mammals. Is this generally available? Depends on your definition of 'generally available', I suppose; I believe it is/was available on Mattias' Roth-Händle site, if you can actually gain access to the thing. It's weirder than its predecessor, and is clearly a Mattias solo project this time round, featuring the usual array of cranky old keyboards and drum machines, and what's more, I have no idea what (if anything) any of the tracks are called. What is undeniable, though, is that the man has a way with a tune; many of the tracks have beautiful melodies, usually played on MiniMoog or Mellotron, though possibly more in an 'art-house film soundtrack' way than a 'worldwide hit single' one, which is probably a good thing. Moments of humour rear their ugly heads here and there, too, with Track 8 being a worthy successor to Raji's Narcotics.
It's likely that some of the 'programmed drums' are actually Mattias' old Chamberlin Rhythmate, which, since it's a tape-replay device, should count as a Chamberlin, but unless/until I'm informed as to what is and what isn't, I really can't comment. As far as more standard Mellotron stuff goes, while I'm certain to miss some of the sounds used, particularly when they're stacked up in the mix, this is what I can actually hear: Cellos, flutes and strings on track 1, strings on 4 and some gorgeous, upfront flutes backed with cello on 5. Flutes and strings on 6, cellos on 10 and ghostly choirs (are there any other kind in Mellotronland?) on 11, with unidentified orchestral something-or-others on 13. 15 features flutes through a Digitek Whammy pitchbend pedal, making for some interesting octave effects, with a final Mellotronic appearance from the cellos, strings and flutes on Track 18. Now go on, tell me what I've missed.
2007 and it's another Molesome album - of a sort. Dial is the sort of thing that lazy reviewers might call 'ambient', only ambient music isn't meant to be this discordant and all-round odd, I suspect. It largely consists of moaning synth with random brass stuck on top, vocal samples, and the odd bit of piano thrown in, so it would seem that 'intelligent, offbeat pop' no longer applies. Actually, this doesn't sound entirely dissimilar to Julian Cope's very odd Odin, only shorter, and with slightly more variety. Mellotron? There's something stabby at around the 16-minute mark, and some background choirs a few minutes later, with some definite flutes and strings around 24 minutes. When suddenly... 26 mins, and full-on strings! Almost rhymes, too. That would appear to be your lot.
See: Änglagård | AK-Momo | Geller | Nanook of the North | Pineforest Crunch | Reminder
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The Mommyheads (1997, 46.01) ***/T |
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| Jaded I'm in Awe Bellhop In the Way You Keep on Looking Back Sad Girl Wake Up Irene Thought of You |
Monkey Would He Know? Corky Screwed |
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The Mommyheads, fronted by Adam 'son of Leonard' Cohen, operated from the late '80s to the late '90s, releasing five albums, of which their eponymous one was the last. Unusually, as this usually happens in reverse, it started off by irritating me, then as it played, I slowly got used to their sound until I ended up quite liking it. And their sound was...? Classic intelligent pop; plenty of Beatles, shades of their contemporary Michael Penn, basically good melodies over inventive chord sequences. Remember them? Well, no-one else does... Standouts? Hard to say after less than two plays, but Corky has a great lyric, and there's nothing here that makes you want to reach for the 'skip' button, which is a result in itself.
The ubiquitous Jon Brion plays Chamberlin on Thought Of You and Screwed, and just for once, you can actually hear the bloody thing. Strings (OK, violins) on the former, sounding, yet again, a lot like the real thing, and flutes on Screwed, although it could easily have been used on another half dozen tracks without over-egging the pudding. Well, I think so, anyway. So; why only three stars? Well, the songs are good, but not great, and without playing it several times in fairly quick succession (time, time...), it's impossible to tell whether its stature will grow or diminish with repetition. Saying that, it's a good album, and may just possibly have its rating bumped up at some point in the future. Two OK Chamby tracks, but don't buy it for them.
See: Adam Cohen
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Avant qu'il Ne Soit Trop Tard (1978, 36.46/58.33) ****/½ |
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| Avant qu'il Ne Soit Trop Tard La Peste Souvenirs de Naufrageurs Tripot Lena Créature sur la Steppe [CD adds: Souvenirs de Naufrageurs (live) |
Créature sur la Steppe (live) Lena (live)] |
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Mona Lisa are often, unfairly, labelled Ange copyists. OK, so they're a loosely Genesis-influenced French progressive band from the early-to-mid-'70s with a theatrical singer. And? They actually sound very little like them, at least within the prog oeuvre, although occasional Genesis comparisons do hold up. 1978's Avant qu'il Ne Soit Trop Tard was their fourth album, following hard on the heels of their classic, the previous year's Le Petit Violon de Monsieur Grégoire (****½), and actually holds up very well in comparison, given that the two-pronged punk/disco attack had hit in their homeland, too. This is a full-on progressive album, with no obvious concessions being made to modernity; y'know what, though? Maybe the band saw this as 'modernity' at the time. The most anyone can do is spot trends, and most of us can't even do that, so if Mona Lisa had an audience who went wild for what they were doing, why would they try to conform to a new set of media-imposed rules? Anyway... Keys man Jean-Paul Pierson is credited with Mellotron (the band had never used one before), but it's only to be heard on Souvenirs De Naufrageurs, with some background choirs near the end, making you wonder why they bothered. It doesn't feature on the live version added to Musea's CD release, making it highly likely that a studio machine was fired up for the sole track.
Vocalist and band linchpin Dominique Le Guennec left after Avant qu'il Ne Soit Trop Tard, so drummer Francis Poulet 'did a Collins' and stepped up to the mic for the original band's last album, '79's Vers Demain (***½). While it's rumoured to have some 'Tron input, there's nothing audible, so null points on that front, although it's a much better album than you'd expect from its year of release. As far as Avant qu'il Ne Soit Trop Tard goes, if you're into the French prog sound and like their earlier albums, you won't be disappointed. Next to no Mellotron, but it's a bit irrelevant here, to be honest. Incidentally, Le Guennec reformed the band in the late '90's, though with no other original members, choosing instead to co-opt most of current French outfit Versailles. They made one studio album, 1998's De l'Ombre à la Lumière, using fake Mellotron (reviewed here) and a live album before dropping out of sight again.
See: Sampledelica!
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Formica Blues (1997, 53.16) ***/T |
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| Life in Mono Silicone Slimcea Girl The Outsider Disney Town The Blind Man High Life Playboys |
Penguin Freud Hello Cleveland! |
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I first heard UK electronica duo Mono around 1998, maybe a year after they'd released Formica Blues; I seem to remember my then girlfriend being less than wholly impressed by my interest being (publicly) piqued at the sound of what I thought was a Mellotron. Note the phrase 'then girlfriend'... I was so unsure, however, that I had it italicised on the albums list for years, until I tracked down an interview with their musical half, Martin Virgo, on the Sound on Sound site, although I'm sure there was a more definite remark re. the album's 'Tron use. Anyway, Formica Blues has a very mid-'90s sort of sound about it; you know, a bit trip-hoppy, a lot louche, '60s penthouse, fairly French pop blah-di-blah. It works quite well on a sub-Air kind of level, though Siobhan De Maré's breathy pseudo-Gallic vocals irritate after a while, and you find yourself wishing you could hear the production subtleties without her emoting over the top for once. Or I do, anyway.
The only mention of Mellotrons I can now find on that Sound on Sound page is: "...which is why there are things on the album like a dulcimer coming out of the left speaker and a Mellotron out of the right", with no mention of the thing in either the production notes or Virgo's favourite gear sidebars, although there's plenty of mention of sundry analogues, including a Juno 106, a MiniMoog, a Rhodes, a Wurly and a Vox Continental. Upon listening to this properly, I'm actually heavily doubtful that the Mellotron's real, though I've been wrong before. Ignoring the various sampled string sounds scattered across the album, what I can hear is flutes and strings on Disney Town, with the standalone strings part at the end of the song being overlaid with vinyl hiss, and not really sounding that much like a genuine 'Tron, with more flutes on instrumental closer Hello Cleveland!, alongside a great vibes sound apparently created using a tortuous process which seems to have justified itself by the end result.
Mono were apparently pretty big in the States for five minutes, mainly due to the album's opening track, Life In Mono, being used as the end-credits theme in what appears to be an already largely-forgotten remake of Great Expectations. I'm not even sure if they ever released anything else, as their name is particularly difficult to search for, and there's at least one other band (from Japan) with the same name who, coincidentally, also allegedly use Mellotron. Anyway, this is far from essential on the (fake?) 'Tron front, but lovers of '90s trip-hop may be interested. Incidentally, the album was reissued as a two-disc set, with the second disc containing various tedious remixes, but since neither of the 'Tron tracks is amongst those remixed, I haven't bothered to include its details here.
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It's Fun to Steal (1998, 40.14) ***/T |
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| Creepy It's Fun to Steal Poison Flowers Mr. Hughes Says Imaginary Friend Taste the Bass Extra Krispy Dedicated |
Back-Stabbing Liar Hillbilly Drummer Girl Dashiki Lover Pretty Fly I Just Found Out What Everybody Knows Night Security |
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Mono Puff were, essentially, a They Might Be Giants side-project, helmed by John Flansburgh, active in the mid-'90s. It's Fun to Steal was their second and last album, ignoring several EP releases, and is probably best described as loungecore, combining '50s easy listening with 'noo wave', indie and other more contemporary styles. But is it any good?, I hear you cry. Well, it's amusing in places, although I can't imagine wanting to play it too often (as in, probably ever again). Instrumentally, there's some nice analogue synth work (Oberheim, as it happens) and the Clavinet on Mr. Hughes Says is pretty cool, but unless you're big on that '50s/early '60s thing and happen to be a big TMBG fan, you're probably not going to get too much out of this.
Flansburgh's credited with Mellotron on Back-Stabbing Liar, which presumably provides the viola solo section in the middle of the song. Well, I think it's viola, and I own the sound myself... Is it real? Who knows? It's an unusual enough sound to be, particularly in those pre-M-Tron days, so it can sit here until/if I should find out otherwise. So; one for TMBG fans who've already got every last one of their Dial-A-Song recordings, or those who wish to hear the super-rare Mellotron viola in action. Assuming it is.
Official They Might Be Giants site
See: They Might Be Giants
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Dopes to Infinity (1995) ****/TTT |
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| Dopes to Infinity Negasonic Teenage Warhead Look to Your Orb for the Warning All Friends and Kingdom Come Ego, the Living Planet Blow 'em Off Third Alternative I Control, I Fly |
King of Mars Dead Christmas Theme From "Masterburner" Vertigo |
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God Says No (2000, 55.54/64.42) ***½/TT½ |
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| Melt Heads Explode Doomsday God Says No Kiss of the Scorpion All Shook Out Gravity Well My Little Friend |
Queen of You Down in the Jungle Cry Take it [CD adds: Silver Future I Want More] |
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Monster Magnet are one of the chief exponents of what the press dubbed 'stoner rock' in the early '90s, otherwise known as a propensity for slowed-down Black Sabbath-alike riffs and far too many drugs. However, they aren't that easy to nail down, stylewise; they don't restrict themselves to slow tempos, don't always try to be heavier-than-thou, and band mainman Dave Wyndorf has no problem with slapping Mellotron all over the place, at least every now and again. The drugs are another matter, though I believe he's now gone (relatively) clean.
Actually, what Dopes to Infinity reminds me of most of all (apart from the Sabs, of course), is Hawkwind, particularly on I Control, I Fly; not the extended space-rock jamming end of their sound, but the repetitive riffing and almost chanted vocals. Yeah, Sabbath crossed with Hawkwind. From New Jersey. Weird. Wyndorf even looks a bit like Dave Brock. You know, I wasn't expecting to like this album, but after a few plays it's sneakily grown on me, in a retro-'70s sort of way. Probably because it sounds so uncontemporary, I suppose. Anyway, Mellotron on four tracks, mostly strings, with some cellos on Blow 'Em Off. Look To Your Orb... and All Friends And Kingdom Come both have loads of 'Tron strings running through them, in a sort-of-Hawks' Assault And Battery kind of way. Tell you wot, I'm actually going to recommend this for Mellotron fans, although it could've done with being on a couple more tracks towards the end of the album. Worth the effort.
After the 'Tron-free Powertrip, Wyndorf went back to the Mellotron on God Says No. Unfortunately, to my ears, it doesn't work as well as Dopes to Infinity; it probably displays a wider range of influences, with Gravity Well reminding me of, of all bands, the Groundhogs, and the riff to My Little Friend being an almost straight cop from Whole Lotta Love. Not that it's a bad album, you understand, just that some of the manic energy seems to have dissipated somewhere down the line. Maybe that's what happens when you stop doing the drugs. Depends which drugs, I suppose... Anyway, less overt 'Tron use this time around, with the string parts sounding eerily similar to some of Sabbath's 'Tron use, with the heaviest Mellotron on the album being the upfront block flute chords on Take It. Somehow, God Says No fails to convince in quite the same way as Dopes to Infinity, and is definitely a lesser 'Tron album.
So; only buy either of these if you like your guitars loud, and as far as the 'Tron's concerned, Dopes to Infinity's the only one I'd bother with.
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Monsters of Folk (2009, 54.37) **½/T |
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| Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.) Say Please Whole Lotta Losin' Temazcal The Right Place Baby Boomer Man Named Truth Goodway |
Ahead of the Curve Slow Down Jo Losin' Yo' Head Magic Marker Map of the World The Sandman, the Brakeman and Me His Master's Voice |
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Monsters of Folk (as in, "...Of Rock", no doubt)) are yer classic 'supergroup'; members of other successful bands getting together for a collaborative side-project, to greater or lesser effect. This one consists of My Morning Jacket's Jim James (calling himself Yim Yames here), M Ward and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis, so it's hardly surprising a Mellotron puts in an appearance on a couple of tracks. To be perfectly honest, the album's a bit of a disappointment, consisting largely of country-tinged indie, selling its constituent members short. Better tracks include Slow Down Jo and Magic Marker, but it all just seems a bit... flat, somehow.
James/Yames sticks Mellotron strings all over opener Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.), although the string interjections on Losin' Yo' Head are almost inaudible, sadly. So; a brave attempt, works in places, doesn't work in more. In my opinion, of course. One decent 'Tron track.
See: My Morning Jacket | M Ward | Bright Eyes
