Monophonics in your brain vinyl

Monophonics: ‘In Your Brain’

This review was written in October 2013, but every word still rings true. After that first time I heard Monophonics at Wanee in 2013, I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of seeing this band eight more times, including their sets on Jam Cruise 2019, and have written about them extensively.

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I grew up in the ’60s in Baltimore, blessed with three amazing soul radio stations (WWIN, WSID & WEBB). I was a Soul Man. Then came the psychedelic tsunami, and it seemed as if I were torn in opposite directions.  But James Brown, Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, Sly Stone, George Clinton, Larry Graham and those fabulous long Temptations tunes made it clear that there was an intersection of soul and psychedelia.

If you had a time machine and could take a vinyl version of Monophonics’ major release In Your Brain (2012) back with you to the early ’70s, nobody would think twice (well, the Larry Graham sample in “All Together” might be a tip-off). This album fits so seamlessly into the deep R&B pocket of that time.  When you listen, you will notice the various influences so lovingly honored.

Take a superb instrumental band mining the same rich territory as Lettuce and New Mastersounds, to name just two, and add a dynamic soul-belter in Kelly Finnigan, and you have a powerhouse band. They were the first band I saw at this year’s Wanee Festival (2013), and for my money I never heard anything that topped them.

The strength of their punch is evident on rockers such as “There’s a Riot Going On” and “Foolish Love,” a superb mix of clavinet, fuzzy psychedelic guitar, percussion and horns. The production on “Foolish Love” in particular reminds you of those great Temptations masterpieces such as “Run Away Child (Running Wild),” “Take a Stroll Through Your Mind,” and “Smiling Faces Sometimes.”

They cover “Bang Bang,” which certainly was a Sonny & Cher hit, but this version owes directly to the great 1968 cover by Terry Reid. “Mirage” could have come from an Isaac Hayes LP such as “To Be Continued.”

Although I am partial to the up-tempo tunes, I confess that the signature song for me is “Say You Love Me,” which screams early ’70s with the superb guitar. Finnigan is a true blues shouter, but on this song he delivers the soul big time; it’s impossible not to relate to the voice or the message – we’ve all been there.

To top it off, their live performance will knock you down and pick you right back up. Buy this disk, AND see them in concert. It’s cheaper than building your own time machine.

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The new record from San Francisco based band Monophonics entitled "In Your Brain" sits on the fuzzy psych side of soul and funk. Paying homage to innovators such as Sly Stone, Norman Whitfield and Funkedelic's George Clinton, the 6 piece outfit displays their ability to put a moody stamp on each composition. Touching on everything from cinematic soul, heavy funk, 60's rock and spaghetti western laced with yellow sunshine acid, the album is sure to leave you tuned in and turned on!

Details Format: Vinyl Label:UBQY Catalog: 11299 Rel. Date: 05/15/2012 UPC:780661129912

Available Formats and Editions

More Info:

The new record from San Francisco based band Monophonics entitled "In Your Brain" sits on the fuzzy psych side of soul and funk. Paying homage to innovators such as Sly Stone, Norman Whitfield and Funkedelic's George Clinton, the 6 piece outfit displays their ability to put a moody stamp on each composition. Touching on everything from cinematic soul, heavy funk, 60's rock and spaghetti western laced with yellow sunshine acid, the album is sure to leave you tuned in and turned on!

Paying homage to innovators such as Sly Stone, Norman Whitfield and Funkedelic's George Clinton, the 6 piece outfit displays their ability to put a moody stamp on each composition. Touching on everything from cinematic soul, heavy funk, 60's rock and spaghetti western laced with yellow sunshine acid, the album is sure to leave you tuned in and turned on!
  
Track List

B5 Deception    
B6 All Together Featuring Fanny Franklin    
B7 Say You Love Me    
B8 They Don't Understand    

C9 Mirage    
C10 Foolish Love    

D11 Thinking Black
D12 Bang Bang    
D13 Temptation    
D14 Keep Looking Ahead

The new record from San Francisco based band Monophonics entitled "In Your Brain" sits on the fuzzy psych side of soul and funk. Paying homage to innovators such as Sly Stone, Norman Whitfield and Funkedelic's George Clinton, the 6 piece outfit displays their ability to put a moody stamp on each composition. Touching on everything from cinematic soul, heavy funk, 60's rock and spaghetti western laced with yellow sunshine acid, the album is sure to leave you tuned in and turned on!

Details Format: Vinyl Label:UBQY Catalog: 11299 Rel. Date: 05/15/2012 UPC:780661129912

In Your Brain

Artist:Monophonics
Format:Vinyl
New:Not currently available
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Available Formats and Editions

More Info:

The new record from San Francisco based band Monophonics entitled "In Your Brain" sits on the fuzzy psych side of soul and funk. Paying homage to innovators such as Sly Stone, Norman Whitfield and Funkedelic's George Clinton, the 6 piece outfit displays their ability to put a moody stamp on each composition. Touching on everything from cinematic soul, heavy funk, 60's rock and spaghetti western laced with yellow sunshine acid, the album is sure to leave you tuned in and turned on!

Includes Free Digital Download Code.

2021 Reissue / Repress on Standard Black Double Vinyl.

Over the past seven years, the Monophonics have staked their claim as one of California’s premier bands. Raised amid the Bay Area’s rich musical culture, the Monophonics have proudly carried on the tradition of music native to their hometown which flourished during the birth of psychedelia.

Monophonics were formed in '05; originally a instrumental ensemble comprised of guitarist Ian McDonald, bassist Myles O’Mahony, saxophonist Alex Baky, trumpeter Ryan Scott, and drummer Austin Bohlman, the band has recently added the dynamic soul vocals of keyboardist Kelly Finnigan. The result is a psychedelic soul & heavy funk sound, which harks back to the stylings of the late '60s and early '70s, all while keeping its feet planted in the present

For the past decade, ‘retro soul’ sounds have been somewhat of a touchstone for artists and audiences looking for musical authenticity. As a fan of vintage R&B, soul, funk, etc, it’s been great to see/hear new artists create new music with a sound that I hold so dear. At the same time, it’s been a bit worrying. How long could this trend last? Will groups just continue to recreate vintage sounds and eventually devolve into bad Motown pastiches or will those sounds be a springboard (hopefully) to something new that embraces yet transcends its influences? In Your Brainby The Monophonics answers those questions for me. Fortunately, it’s the latter and the answer is a resounding ‘YES!’

Mining a similar vein as early Funkadelic and Frankie Beverly’s Raw Soul, fuzzed out psychedelic guitar riffs collide with heavy funk beats and are topped off with spacey echoes. However, the album is much more than just a collection of genre melding sounds solid songwriting is the core of this collection. It’s this focus on the song craft that keeps ‘In Your Brain’ from falling into the category of “bad pastiche”. Three songs that stick out in my mind are the dubby and timely R&B of “There’s A Riot Going On” (think Lee Perry meets Screamin’ Jay Hawkins), the psych-funk of “All Together Now” (featuring Orgone’s Fanny Franklin), and their epic version of Sonny Bono’s “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)”.

Sonically, In Your Brain sounds like a dream band featuring Dennis Coffey, the Funk Brothers, & Dr. John recording at Black Ark studios. However, this record is much more than just a culmination of sonic influences. The writing at the heart of the LP helps make this something completely original as well as something rooted in the past. I once read a Robert Wyatt quote about Paul Weller that I think is applicable. To paraphrase it, the Monophonics, like master carpenters, have created new furniture from seasoned wood. ‘In Your Brain’ by the Monophonics will be released by Ubiquity Records on May 15th. words/ c weaver

MP3:The Monophonics :: All Together

The new record from San Francisco based band Monophonics entitled “In Your Brain” sits on the fuzzy psych side of soul and funk. Paying homage to innovators such as Sly Stone, Norman Whitfield and Funkedelic’s George Clinton, the 6 piece outfit displays their ability to put a moody stamp on each composition. Touching on everything from cinematic soul, heavy funk, 60’s rock and spaghetti western laced with yellow sunshine acid, the album is sure to leave you tuned in and turned on!