A revolutionary listening experience, From Monument to Masses is the moniker of the politically astute post-rock trio from the San Fransisco Bay Area. The group came together in late 2000 when Matthew Solberg (guitarist/vocalist/programmer) and Francis Choung (vocalist/percussionist/drummer) met through an online message board for local musicians. The two began playing together and connected with Sergio Robledo-Moderazo (bassist/keyboardist/programmer/vocalist) who also had connections with Steve Aoki who was the main frontman of Dim Mak records - the record label they would sign to shortly after. Instead of searching for a lead vocalist, the band decided to implement samples of various media sources into their music showcasing the members’ political and social concerns with the modern world. Combining the fluid arrangements and structures of post-rock (one thinks of a more upbeat Mogwai or Godspeed You! Black Emperor), along with the standard principles of post-hardcore, the band has gained critical acclaim for their approach to instrumental rock. The band is still currently signed to Dim Mak records. The follow up to 2003’s groundbreaking The Impossible Leap in One Hundred Simple Steps was a album containing covers and different version of their songs, as well as two new tracks, titled Schools of Thought Contend. For the next four years From Monument to Masses toured massively, throughout America, Europe and Asia. In 2009 they released Beyond God and Elvis as a single, and in March released On Little Known Frequencies. The band will be touring soon to promote this album.
My Humble Opinion
Remarkably, this band doesn't have a vocalist. They use samples from movies, TV programs, commercials and political debates, which sounds pretty nice reminding me of my favourite Maybeshewill's album Japanese Spy Transcript. All in all according to the texts and their own words FMTM are quite politically oriented and hope to change the world around with their music. I don't know if they have succeed but the sound is pretty nice.
Albums
From Monument To Masses (2002)
- 00036
- SM-NL
- Conclusions That Don't Conclude
- Clinical Features Of Rock Trauma
- !Hasta La Victoria Siempre!
192 kbps
The Impossible Leap In One Hundred Simple Steps (2003)
- Sharpshooter
- From The Mmmmmmntais To The Praries
- The Quiet Before
- The Spice Must Flow
- Comrades And Friends
- Old Robes
- To Z (Repeat)
192 kbps
Schools Of Thought Contend (Remixes) (2005)
- Deafening
- The Quiet Before (Thunderbirds Are Now! Remix)
- From The Mountains To The Prairies (Norr Liva & AM Remix)
- The Spice Must Flow (Automato Remix)
- Old Robes (Nano Machine Remix)
- Comrades And Friends (Loquat Remix)
- Old Robes (Antimc Remix)
- To Z (Repeat) (65daysofstatic Remix)
- The Quiet Before (Subtitle Remix)
- The Spice Must Flow (Turbotito Remix)
- From The Mountains To The Prairies (Textual Remix)
- Sharpshooter (Jason Clark Remix)
- To Z (Repeat) (Last Defender Of The One True Waveform Remix)
- The Noise Thereafter
- The Quiet Before (Amundsen Remix)
VBR 192-320 kbps
Beyond God And Elvis EP (2008)
- Beyond God And Elvis
- Beyond God And Elvis (Kino Fist Score Remix)
- Beyond God And Elvis (Cost & Materials Remix)
- The Role Traversal
256 kbps
On Little Known Frequencies (2009)
- Checksum
- (Millions Of) Individual Factories
- Beyond God & Elvis
- A Sixth Trumpet
- An Ounce Of Prevention
- The First Five
- Let Them Know It's Christmastime
- Hammer And Nails
VBR 192-320 kbps
Links
This is a side project from 5ive’s Ben Carr that is described as “an interpretation of depression falling into madness”. All of the tracks (seven are printed on the package, but nine appear on the CD itself) consist solely of various guitar riffs, tones, and textures, and the result is pretty interesting, not to mention diverse. From acoustic guitars and ambient hums to doom-laden crunches, sinister drones, and twisted feedback… it’s all here. And the tracks range in length from a mere two minutes to nearly 20! So there are definitely a lot of doors being opened and explored.
