Artist: Nick Monaco
Album: Mating Call
Label: Soul Clap Records
Released: 08/09/14
When Boston's Elyte and Cnyce kept getting sent music from a kid called Nick Monaco, they saw so much potential in the youngster that it inspired them to start up a whole new record label, Soul Clap Records. Two years on, and the label has just released its first album, fittingly from that very same kid from the Bay Area.
Mating Call is Monaco's début offering, and a perfect demonstration of why the pair saw so much potential in the songwriter. Across the ten tracks Monaco explores everything from house to funk to soul, with live instrumentals and unique use of vocals throughout. The album kicks off with title track Mating Call, a mellow, psychedelic number that reels you in with its dream like percussion sections and feathery vocals.
The record then moves on to a funk laden sound with the low drools of a double bass carrying us through tracks two and three, BabyFace and Ancient Ritual. Like with many of the tracks on this album, the vocals, although scarce in places and often used as percussive aids, are a key component in these two tracks. Monaco's breathy scat-like harmonising in BabyFace help build the melodies as much as, if not more than, the instrumentals, an approach that is also taken in the fourth track on the album, the bluesy Private Practice.
In Ancient Ritual meanwhile, Monaco has used the vocals in a far more orthodox way, with Brandon Cain's lengthy lyrics maintaining the listeners' focus throughout the song. The chorus lyric "take a chill pill" leaps out in particular, as it immediately conjures up images of the sixties and seventies, time periods in which a lot of this album wouldn't sound out of place in.
The album continues on with this melting pot of genres, fluctuating from trip hop to jazz to soul. On paper this should result in something disjointed and messy, but Monaco's distinct, and ever so unique style strings it all together seamlessly, the same psychedelic feel running throughout. One song that stands out in particular is Maintenance Man, a much more stripped back number than its counterparts, comprising of a plodding beat with just one singular line repeated over and over. Despite the simplicity of the track, its upbeat feel make it one you want to listen to again and again, showcasing what raw talent Monaco clearly has for song writing.
The album finishes with Freak Flag, and true to its name its arguably the strangest of Monaco's ten offerings. The high pitched vocals have been cut and put back together slightly out of time, creating an unnerving sound that is anything but easy listening. However the song does swiftly move onto a far more settled chorus, with a low bass and deeper vocals. The song would have to be my least favourite on the album, which is a shame as the final track is unavoidably the last impression many listeners are left with. That said, it still possesses that unique sound of Monaco's that inspired Soul Clap Records itself; and if a song like that can be credited as the lowest point of a ten track album, then that's a hit i'm sure any artist would be more than happy to take.
Tracklist
01. Mating Call
02. BabyFace
03. Ancient Ritual feat. Brandon Cain
04. Private Practice
05. I Can't Breathe Without You
06. Brooklyn Is A Submarine feat. Slow Hands
07. Maintenance Man
08. TooHighToDrive
09. She Got That Fire
10. Freak Flag
WORDS | Joanna Wright
