The idea behind Little Noises 1990-1995, the new Monochrome Set box-set from Cherry Red Records, is a simple one. That said, the service provided here in collecting a string of Nineties-era releases from The Monochrome Set is much appreciated as a few of these albums had been woefully hard to find until now. The 5-disc set drops on Friday and it's essential for fans of these post-punk British legends.
1990's Dante's Casino is full of bright and smart music, and likely one of the best parts of this set. "Golden Waters" is lush and lovely, while "House of God" is a clever spin on the sort of British indie bands like The Smiths and The Housemartins crafted in the Eighties. Elsewhere, "Walking with the Beast" is a jaunty ramble.
Disc 2 here is Jack from 1991 and the sound is slightly harder, at least on "Big Wheel", the catchy opener, and "Sweet Death" another gem here. Bid sounds in command on all of these numbers, and there's an energy here which is impressive even decades later. And while The Monochrome Set usually earn points from reviewers for their brains, they are also masters of melody, with a number like "Black are the Flowers" being like a more temperate version of something from The Fall, or a less idiosyncratic spin on the same sort of material that Morrissey was chasing in 1991.
Charade from 1992 is Disc 3 here and it's a real pleasure of a record. More seamlessly melodic and holistic than the first two albums in this set, it's got the uniform charm of a concept album. "Forever Young" pops with a gusto like mid-Sixties Kinks numbers, while "Crystal Chamber" has a nice chamber pop flavor about it. While some numbers here ("Talking About You", "Snowgirl") are decidedly more ornate and considered, no one is going to mistake The Monochrome Set on this one for The Moody Blues, you know? What the band are doing on Charade is closer to The Zombies, especially on the gorgeous "Her Pain", a sublime ballad.
1995's Misere sees The Monochrome Set dive headlong into the carefully-composed work that had made up the previous two releases in this set. "Milk and Honey", the opener, is similar to what The Divine Comedy would be doing later in this era, while "Leather Jacket" and "Bed" use organ-swirls to suggest a kind of updating of the Nuggets-style of rock-and-roll that's a bit neater than that of the Sixties, while the epic "Achilles" goes in entirely new directions for this band. It's not something I loved as much as earlier tracks in this compilation, but I am grateful for this set pushing a listener to reconsider the chances taken by this band in the mid-Nineties.
Trinity Road from 1995, Disc 5 here on Little Noises 1990-1995, is the final album from The Monochrome Set before they took a long break up until about 2012 or so. It's also the hardest record to embrace here. "I Love Lambeth" is a nice country-ish spin on the usual Monochrome Set material, while "The Golden Apples of the Sun" is pleasant indeed, but lots of what's here just doesn't work. That sounds harsh but spin this one next to nearly anything else from Bid and the boys before this point and you'll see what I mean. Still, it's not an awful record, just a lesser one in the Monochrome Set discography.
Little Noises 1990-1995 is a valuable addition to the recent reissues of this band's material. It covers the final years before their big disappearing act before their reunion, and reminds how compelling their art could be, even in lean years. While there is maybe one non-essential album here, the whole set is worth getting simply to complete the trajectory of this band through the Nineties, and dive again into at least four largely excellent records.
Little Noises 1990-1995 is out on Friday via Cherry Red Records on Friday.
More details via the official Monochrome Set website, or via their official Facebook page.
[Photo: Lester Square]