Review :: Armchair Telepathy :: Monochrome Set

Monochrome Set
Early Recordings: 1975 - 1977
Captured Tracks
12" EP



Monochrome Set are the ultimate dustbin for me. Initially plugged into them by an East Portland record shop, their singles & sessions comp Volume, Contrast, Brilliance was the hidden trump card that only record clerks seemed to blush over. I spun that record every morning on my Jensen portable while scrambling eggs until I tripped over the power cable and smashed the damn thing... no one's fault but my own. At that moment (and my roommates can attest), I cursed wherever humanity gets its manna, certain that I'd lost the only tangible evidence that I ever had a soul. I fucking loved that record, and if anyone can find it for me, I will give you $30 for it. That's five burgers from Five Guys. Let the hunt begin.

In equal parts embarrassment and confirmation, Captured Tracks has exhumed pre-post-post-pre-punk gems from this London band for the rest of the world to consume. Embarrassment that I'm not as "dustbin" as I thought I was; confirmation that this band deserves much much more than post-punk obscurity. I find myself feeling queasy with contradictions. Either way, this release comes as an unexpected puzzle-piece to how lead-writer Bid honed his craft. The intro to Side-B standout "Flesh, Trash, Heat" is a dead-ringer for the self-referencing "Monochrome Set," released as a single several years later. This is melodic indie-pop way the fuck ahead of its time, and I truly command you to take notice here. Bonus video to drive the nail in deeper, as if it were necessary.


Monochrome Set :: Flesh. Trash. Heat


Monochrome Set :: Monochrome Set