The Monochrome Set are the sort of band who can blend indie-pop of the lightest variety with the smarts and wit that elevate the form into something more than just fluff. At their best, over a storied career, they've made catchy and clever tunes that stand as equals to those of The Smiths and Orange Juice and others. With the band's newest album, Fabula Mendax, out on Friday via Tapete Records, The Monochrome Set have sought inspiration from the kind of history that's the sort of thing that only maybe Dead Can Dance could make a record out of. Luckily, this album isn't as heavy a listening experience as all that.
Based on the writings in the 15th Century by Armande de Pange, a companion of Joan of Arc, Fabula Mendax is an odd record, but it's one full of the rollicking pop of these Brit legends. "Throw It Out The Window", for instance, marries a hook that's got a bit of Morricone about it, with Bid's impassioned vocals carrying things forward, while "My Little Reliquary" seems both a straightforward piece inspired by the material that gave intellectual spark to this record, as well as the kind of thing that made me think of any number of Television Personalities tunes. The Monochrome Set imbue this material with a definite lightness, such that the seriousness of the subject matter is countered by the simple pleasures of the tunes.
"Summer of the Demon" is faintly in debt to garage rock, while the superb "Come to Me, Oh, My Beautiful" is a lovely tune. "Sliding Icicle" adds the smallest of blues hooks to things and the effect is one that's hard to describe, but the cut should feel familiar to any fan of this band. That's something I could say about nearly anything here, frankly. For a record with such seriousness behind it in terms of subject matter, Fabula Mendax is a remarkably easy-to-enjoy release.
Fabula Mendax is out on Friday via Tapete Records.
More details on The Monochrome Set via the band's official Facebook page, or via the official website.
[Photo: Simon Hegenberg]