This is a timely Vinyl re-issue of the 2013 re-issue of The Monochrome Sets 1983 compilation album of Radio sessions, Rough trade singles, and some EMI sessions, there are two bonus tracks taken from the bands John Peel sessions.
The album opens with what sounds like Janice Long introducing Eine Symphonie Des Grauens a decidedly wonky tune that seems to marry three or four disparate elements to create a new whole, with a stranglers style guitar and bass part set against Bid's off centre vocals, this is nicely unsettling.
Jet Set Junta has the swirling organ and an almost perfect pop song about being able to do what you want as part of said Jet Set Junta, as you lord it over the locals and all sorts of nasty things happen while you look the other way. John Peel introduces the band at the end of the song.
Love Zombies has almost nursery rhyme guitar parts that build as the effects are added and it could indeed be perfect to walk zombie like towards the object of your desire as Bid promises to suck you dry. John Peel assures us at the end that it's meant to sound as it does.
Silicon Carne has some careful production as they tie everything together with plastic and ask questions about the then new addiction to all thing's silicon, in this case the ways you might use it in your body, this is ahead of the game being about plastic surgery and ends with an interview snippet.
The Ruling Class seems rather apposite to be reviewing this on the day Boris finally quit, as they re-work a music hall classic into a stinging attack on how being the son of a member of the aristocracy might screw you up and how the more breeding you've had the worse it might be for you.
Viva Death Row is droll and with odd time signatures and weird drums and guitars flailing about like someone twitching in the electric chair.
The Man With The Black Moustache feels like they are trying to be the new wave's answer to Brecht and Weil but with decidedly Hi-Life guitars and a cheeky snigger in the lyrics, no matter how serious some of the lyrical content might be.
The B-side opens with He's Frank (Slight Return) that sounds like it was a big influence on The Jazz Butcher, love the guitar madness and rather droll lyrics about this peculiar boy.
Fun For All The Family is one of those phrases from 1970's TV that almost gives you shivers and not in a good way as the lyrics to this kind of indicate.
Lester Leaps In isn't a cover of the Lester Young classic, as well as title track of the first Lester Young album I bought, as this one is all about Lester Square leaping in with his squiggly guitar parts against the super speedy drumming and some handclaps.
John Peel then introduces Ici Les Enfants and Fat Fun by wondering if they are having a pop at him, now is this about the young girls or his portly stature? Either way Ici Les Enfants has what sound like almost down tuned guitars and a slightly askew look at those french kids before Bid asks all sorts of questions including are you ready for incest! Just before it goes straight into Fat Fun that's super speedy and just a little bit seedy as we all shout out Fat Fun and wonder at just how squiggly Lester can make those guitars go.
Alphaville is all about the film and manic depressives with money. Dear Old Lemmy Caution may be lurking somewhere deep in the mix, so you'd better watch out.
Avanti (10 Don'ts For Honeymooners) is a great song title and subject matter that they tackle with the bands typical grace and slightly askew view point and of course a cheeky aside or three as they give us there own version of the Ten Commandments Of Love but with a vastly different viewpoint to that classic.
Love Goes Down The Drain takes the break up song into what sounds like quite upbeat territory with a part where Bids vocals go all Noel Coward over the new wave guitars and oddball drumming as his love goes round the toilet bend.
The album closes with Noise (Eine Kleine Symphonie) that's a gloriously idiotic way to close the album with a child's toy laughing his way into the fade out.
Find out more at https://opticnerverecordings.com/products/monochrome-set-the-volume-contrast-brilliance-vol-1-lp?_pos=2&_sid=07232b364&_ss=r&variant=21052845319 https://www.facebook.com/themonochromeset
